A Devil's Heart
by PerireAnimus
Summary: A Prophecy decides the fate of Humans and Devil's. An Ancient Order of Devil Hunters is in an ongoing battle with the forces of evil. Dante, Nero, and Vergil are intertwined with a young woman who causes them to question what truly lies in their heart.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Devil May Cry game series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

**Summary: **A Prophecy decides the fate of Humans and Devil's. An Ancient Order of Devil Hunters is in an ongoing battle with the forces of evil. Dante, Nero, and Vergil are intertwined with a young woman who causes them to question what truly lies in their heart.

**Author's Note: _Revised and edited version of the original! _**I couldn't stand the first fanfic of my DMC original and it was just awful. Over the years I have improved in my writing and decided to rewrite my old fanfic to the one you see now. I believe this one to be way better, for those of you who have read my older one, remove it from your mind. This version will be slightly different from the last one with the same characters and plot. Hopefully you will come to love this one far better than my original, enjoy~! :3

Reviews are always welcomed~ :3 Characters: OC's, Dante, Vergil, Nero, Kyrie, Trish, and Lady (?) Pairings: Will leave it a mystery for you to find out yourself. XP

_**This fic takes place after all of the DMC series, so if you don't know the DMC series story, especially with 3 and 4, then you will be lost at the direction of this story.**_

**I Give Thanks: **I give much thanks and love to my beta's Tora-Katana, Naiya, and Kris for all your help~ Knowing my struggle with English not being my native language and my battles with grammar, punctuations, and writing in general, you still believed in me and encouraged me in my writing and to overcome these obstacles despite my flaws. I appreciate everything you three have done for me and for that you are not just my beta's but are friends to me and I am blessed. Thank you.

_**A Devils Heart**_

_**I**_

_**All Souls Night**_

The day was creeping into darkness as Hallows Eve took flight where little humans took forms of ghouls and monsters and pretty princesses with cowboys saving the day. The 'Devil May Cry' Agency was still while everything outside of it was bustling with children and adults dressed up for the holiday, scaring others in their wake and collecting sweets instead of souls, as creatures of the night normally would.

It was almost nightfall and no one has called in for Dante's awesome talent in demon-slaying, one that every demon _and _devil knew and feared; or at least, that's how Dante saw it. He sat at his desk, his feet lazily propped up by his over-sized black boots that zipped up the front lay comfortably on the desk. He twirled his Ebony gun with his open-finger leather gloved hand, his right index-finger fitted behind the trigger; of course, the safety was on. He set the gun down on the desk to his left, next to a picture of his mother. The gun lay quietly next to its twin Ivory for the moment, quiet, almost serene, that is, until it is needed again to shed some devil blood.

As usual, Dante wore a black leather vest that double buckled over his chest snugly, but his bottom half was clad in black leather pants to match his vest which settled at the top of his hips. He also wore around his muscular neck a striking gold pendant containing a twinkling ruby in the middle of it. His mother had left it to him as a keepsake. His white, un-kept hair covered his ice blue eyes like always. His expression was bored as he glanced over at Trish, who was wearing a silver embroidered black cincher that slightly opened at the top of her bust and barely covered her stomach, showing it of. Her tight black leather pants complimented her sleek legs; a big double silver buckle black belt was fitted around her wide hips, her black leather knee-high boots covering her calves. A black ribbon choker was tied around her neck and a black leather arm guard buckled up her left arm. Her long platinum blond hair hanging low at her waist as she sat on the couch reading her girly magazines, a name given to them by Dante.

_What is it with women and their damn magazines, _he thought as he eyed Trish, the woman who painfully resembled his late mother.

Trish didn't see Dante's stare, her attention focused closely on reading an interesting article in today's gossip and fashion. Reading these magazines helped her understand the female human's character and so this was her excuse to occasionally read them.

Dante sighed, annoyance flitting across his face. "Damn it! Where the hell are the demons today? Aren't they supposed to be wrecking havoc on people tonight? It's their damn job to cause trouble and my job to kick their asses for doing it!" yelled Dante, frustrated, as he slammed his head on his desk in defeat.

"Maybe you killed all of them… or they're probably taking a holiday…," said Trish, smiling amusedly, still looking in her magazine as she flipped a page.

"Was that you trying to be a smart-ass? Cause I forgot to laugh." Dante said in a sarcastic tone, his head still flat on his desk, then under his breath muttering "Bitch" as he smirked, trying to start something to amuse him out of his boredom.

"What was that Dante?" She said in a low growl as she looked up from her magazine with a death glare towards her partner; her sharp ears not missing the words but asked the question as a challenge.

"…Nothing…," he replied as he lifted his head to eye Trish, his usual playful smirk plastered on his face in amusement.

"Yeah that's what I thought…" Trish said quietly back as she went back to looking at her magazine, not in a mood for Dante's childish games and left it at that.

Dante snorted back in reply as he focused on the round clock on the far left side wall, the small hand pointing to the six and the longer hand at seven. Six-thirty-five p.m., Dante sighed, returning to his brooding as he grabbed one of his guns and began to take it apart for cleaning. He pulled one of the desk drawers out to remove the gun cleaning tools from its confines and laid them gently on top of his desk.

Then all of a sudden, someone knocked at the door; the sound got Trish and Dante's attention as they looked up at the worn, red wooden door. He got up from his chair to walk towards it, cracking his neck to loosen the tension caused by laying his head uncomfortably on his desk. He had a feeling they were trick-or-treater's coming to beg for candy, he didn't mind and was glad to have bought a ton of bags for the occasion. It wasn't going to be too much trouble handing out candy to rambunctious kids high on sugar and whatever was left he could eat: everybody would win without him breaking a sweat. The kids would come and go, but he really wanted to get out, especially on all souls night. It was the night where the veil between this and the Otherworld was at its thinnest, and usually at its strongest for spirits of many kinds to be able to roam the earth.

"Why are you bothering giving sweets to humans dressed up, pretending to be something ridiculous and outrageous?" Trish said, laying the magazine down, forgotten- as she raised a hand to her temple as if the very thought gave her a headache, thin brows furrowed.

Trish didn't understand why Dante would bother giving candy to annoying little brats playing dress up: dressing up like things that you were not struck her as pointless, and giving them candy for doing it seemed foolish, but that was the human holiday tradition as she came to realize. She just never liked it or understood it; _humans were so strange_, she thought.

Dante just looked at her with his amused small smile as he got to the door, where a small round wooden table sat near the door, holding a large metal bowl filled with a variety of candy. As he reached for the bowl, taking his attention away from Trish and preparing himself for the costumed kids, he took a breath and swung the door open, providing the large bowl to the kids who happily said "Trick or Treat" in the usual child jingle.

Dante just smiled nervously, "I think I rather give you guys a treat than have a trick played on me." He said chidingly as he brought forth the bowl for the kids to grab at the candy greedily; "Here ya go ya little monsters," he said while they were busy rummaging through the candy bowl and leaving once they were satisfied. "Eat lots of candy and raise some hell!" Dante yelled out to them with his right hand over the side of his mouth as the kids giggled, running away to the next house.

The children dressed as a skeleton, a princess, a character from some kids cartoon, a zombie and a bumble bee, while the parents were off at a distance near the street on watch, following them close behind he observed. Dante closed the door and sat the candy bowl down on the table, the smile disappearing from his face as his brows furrowed in impatience. He wanted to get out and have some fun like everybody else, excluding the trick or treating, anything than sitting around and doing nothing all night in boredom.

Suddenly an idea crept into his mind that was brilliant; go out dressed up too for the occasion just for the hell of it, it would be fun, and maybe even hunt down some demons and be a part of the costume wearing for once. He had secretly bought a couple of items for the occasion out of curiosity, so what could it hurt? Demons maybe. He quickly went to his messy room to where his closet was and pulled out the items he had bought a couple of days ago, still in their bags. Trish got up, getting ready to leave; she had her own things to do, other than sitting around doing nothing with Dante, but was curious as to what her partner was doing.

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously, standing near the worn, black leather couch, waiting for a reply, or for him to come out of the room, her arms crossed.

Dante didn't say anything as he pulled out a worn, deep red trench coat and put it on over his vest. Then took a long wide crimson hat he had bought, made out of smooth yet fine quality suede and donned a black, emotionless Italian-style masquerade mask that covered his face nicely. Intricate silver designs highlighted the mask from the sides, around the eye slits and forehead, giving it a Victorian look that still kept its masculine features. Looking at himself in the antique long silver mirror near his large closet, he was quite pleased at how he appeared; thinking he looked pretty cool and that this wasn't such a bad idea. He strapped a light brown gun holster around his waist, one for holding a larger weapon on his back, buckling the two straps on the front of his chest, and made sure both snug. When he was finished, he went back into the main room where Trish was waiting. As soon as Trish saw Dante, she was speechless as she just stared at him with wide eyes, uncrossing her arms. Dante went to his huge mahogany cabinet with his weapon collection to pick out his weapon of choice to take with him on his demon hunting.

"What the hell are you wearing Dante? Are you seriously going out looking like that? You look ridiculous with that mask and hat on, you're acting like a foolish human, just like everyone else tonight. Ridiculous!" she said judgmentally in a harsh tone of disgust.

Dante skimmed through his unique weapon collection, pulling out a sword here, a gun there, putting each item back carefully and orderly, not satisfied with any as he heard Trish's rude protest that made him frown behind his mask.

"I'm wearing my usual attire with a mask and a hat as accessories and I don't give a damn how I look to you or anyone else for that matter. And you forget that I am human too and not just a devil; I don't give a shit if I look or act foolish, at least I'm gonna have fun while I'm doing it," he answered back, his back still towards her as he pulled out the weapon he thought befitting for the occasion: a wicked scythe.

Trish sighed to his reply as she shook her head with indifference. Dante, who didn't seem to take notice of Trish, closed the large wooden glass door of the cabinet as he observed the long black and dark purple scythe that glowed a blue white color. He made a test swing before he was satisfied and believed that he chose the right weapon. He took long strides to his desk to grab his guns, quickly putting together Ebony with ease; removing the safety lock on both large weapons before holstering his twin guns behind his back under the long coat, then grabbed his keys. He was ready to conquer the night of souls.

Dante passed Trish without giving her a glance, muttering in a low tone, "I'll see you around." His footsteps seemed to make an eerie sound as he opened the large door to the outside, a cold wind blowing in, making his coat blow behind him and his semi-long white loose hair shiver at the sides of his face.

"Yeah, whatever… raise some hell out there…" she replied in an uncaring monotone, crossing her long pale arms across her well endowed chest.

Dante just smirked underneath his mask as he made one last glance at her before leaving, "Heh, I will. Don't wait up for me," he said in a prideful tone, his scythe resting on his right shoulder in a tight-gloved grip.

He walked out into the darkness, closing the door behind him, the harvest moon shining brightly yet mysteriously in the star filled sky.

Hallows Eve was still young, _what a perfect time for devil killing_ he thought. Taking in a deep breath, the crisp air filling his lungs, he was beginning to feel the excitement the night offered as he hopped onto his large black motorbike, that glimmered a shade of a deep and light violet.

He needed to shed some devil blood to get his heart pumping back to life. Grinning, he holstered his scythe behind him, put the key into the ignition, and turned it, the engine roaring to life with a deep growl. With his fingerless gloved hands on the break, he kicked back the stand and revved the engine. He was ready to take on the evening and hoped it would be an exciting one, leaving behind his boredom at the 'Devil May Cry' residence. It would be a perfect night to make a devil cry and Dante would make certain of that. Ready, he let go of the brake and eased on the clutch, and drove off into the dark cold lively city night of monsters and humans.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A Devils Heart**_

_**II**_

_**Girl in the Masquerade Mask**_

Wearing only a wired underskirt with bloomers and knee high lace stockings with gold and silver ribbons, tied neatly in a bow at the sides, a young petite woman stepped into the long delicate silver skirt and pulled it up to snap in place at the crook of her back across her waist, and smoothed out the gold embroidery on her legs. The long brocade dress glimmered under the low lamplight and candles that were lit quietly around the semi-large room of a bedroom.

She took the brocade silver and gold bodice that laid on the pristine medium size bed to put it over her delicate flesh and well rounded chest. Pearls of white and gold complimented with brilliant crystals decorated the bodice and skirt in an elaborate design, a gold chemise covering the top of her chest that cut low to bare the tops of her breasts. Swirls of tiny pearls and crystals brightened down the ends of her sleeves, covering half of her hands with two small buttons keeping it in place. The translucent gold chemise covering the front of her dress in a triangle with bead-work designs running down the sides of it, connecting to the brocade material.

Her small shoulders were slightly revealed from the cover of the roped and beaded top sleeves, adorned with spirals of pearls and crystals, the top of her back would show bare once the bodice was tied in place. She became engrossed in trying to tie her own corset, hands bent behind her back as she wrestled with the garment, until a hesitant knock at the door brought her attention away from the pesky silver silk ribbon.

"Are you ready yet, Angelea?" a young man's concerned voice sounded from the other side of the oak door.

"Yeah almost, I have yet to put my make-up on and I'm trying to tie the ribbon of my corset and I'm having trouble with it. Argh, stupid ribbon, damn it!" she blurted out in reply, frustration laced in her voice as the ribbon wouldn't go through one of the holes and she was having trouble finding the other one.

"We're going to be late for the ball and everyone here has already left. Do you want me to help you?" the man replied, worry in his tone.

"Grr, yeah fine, hurry up and get in here and help me tie this stupid corset!" she finished, dropping her arms down to her sides in defeat, angry and annoyed with the ribbon as if the ribbon itself had been the cause of her agitation that she had felt all evening.

Brooding, she held up the corset with her arms crossed so as to not reveal anything as the door creaked open and a young man came in, dressed in a peacock blue, silver and gold suit, styled in the English Renaissance period. He wore a silver mask with peacock blue and gold designs decorating the eye slits and forehead which covered half his face.

He was smiling sweetly as he slowly walked in and closed the door behind him to give them privacy in case someone decided to come back for something. As he went to stand behind Angelea, a slight blush crossed her smooth face which had a minor scowl upon it. With gentle hands, the young man took the silk ribbons between his fingers and delicately slipped them through each hole in the back of the bodice, and then tightened them firmly before going to the next golden colored metal hole. He could smell her sweet perfume of floral and sandalwood with a hint of citrus. He gazed upon her slender pale back, ever so often brushing against it, Angelea feeling the warmth as his hands and fingers tied the ribbons down her back.

"Thanks David… for doing this, sorry for the trouble." Angelea said in a low tone of embarrassment, she hated to trouble people with things.

David just grinned and said in a warm voice, "Oh it's no trouble, I delight in helping you. And besides, you look radiant in this dress, did Katherine make this for you?" he said, tying the bottom into a neat long bow.

Angelea nodded, smiling as she turned to look at David to thank him and then replied, "Yeah, she did, isn't it beautiful?" as she stepped back to show David the dress, her hand clasped together in front of her nervously.

"Of course it is, you look exquisite and it matches your hair," he said, admiring her from head to toe as he reached over and slipped his right hand through the soft tendrils of her long silver hair that shimmered gold when the light hit them.

Angelea modestly looked away from his lustful stare, shying away from his touch a bit and replied, "If only I could dress like this every day instead of it being once. I feel like a princess when wearing something like this, it's so fun! I wish I was born in the Renaissance, those people had taste and elegance." She said sighing in disappointment, imagining the idea of being in a world of the Renaissance.

David smiled amusingly to hide his disappointment from her reaction and gave a curt nod in agreement. "Yeah it would be nice to live in such a time period, things were a lot different back then, you would have loved it," he finished as he took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You really think so?" she said smiling, her perfect teeth showing a little through her small soft lips.

"I know so," he said with utmost certainty, raising his head up a bit in a dimple grin.

Angelea just smiled at this, removing her hands from his and gently nudged his chest that made him move backwards a bit, a playful gesture. She turned towards her vanity, her make-up laid out neatly, and began to put on her make-up.

"Come on, you don't need any make-up; you look beautiful without it, let's go! Father Constantine will be irate if we're late for the inauguration of the two new members into the Order. It's very important that we are there to welcome them since we are seniors and need to set an example," he urged as he stood right behind her, his reflection on the mirror looking directly at her in all seriousness.

Angelea was powdering her face, trying to cover the long nights awake from under her eyes as she glanced at him in the mirror. "I know, I know, just go, don't wait up for me. It won't help if both of us are late, you go, I'll catch up. It's better if one of us is late instead of both of us. Don't worry I'll try to be quick and be right behind you, it's not that far of a walk," she finished as she began to put gold eye liner over her mismatched eyes of violet and blue-green.

"Angelea it's almost seven city blocks!" he exclaimed to her in a high tone, surprised at her reply.

"Go! Don't worry about me, I'll see you soon~," she said waving her hand at him as a sign to leave, not giving him a glance as she was too busy looking at herself in the mirror; cussing under her breath as she had messed up on the eyeliner, and grabbed a q-tip to correct her mistake.

David sighed in defeat, knowing he wouldn't be able to get her to go any faster. He nodded in reply and turned towards the door, hands on the latch and turned it to open it as he gave her one last glance and then began to walk out but stopped when Angelea called out for him. He poked his head back in to look at her, giving her a silent questioning stare.

"Thanks… for tying me up." she said in a low tone, a slight blush crossing her face again; embarrassment written in her words as if what she had said had sounded naughtier than what it was meant to be.

David just smiled, "You're welcome." and with that he closed the door, leaving her behind for the awaited ball that evening.

After finishing, she quickly put on her small matching heels and put on the gold masquerade mask that covered the top half of her face like David's. It had silver colored designs of matching pearls and shiny stones that glittered in the light, giving off a rainbow hue upon her face and hair that she didn't bother to put up because of the short time. She then grabbed her silk purse and put the gold silk rope around her wrist, items that had been also handmade by her good friend Katherine.

She checked to make sure she had everything and wasn't forgetting anything, keys, a small glass bottle of holy water which she had been told to always carry around her by David for important uses of blessing or to ward off evil and banish them. Satisfied, she quickly moved to the door to leave, but with some difficulty and almost tripped. Shutting the door to her bedroom and than running as quickly as she could in the full sized dress, she held up the skirts in front of her, trying not to trip to get to the exit of the shared home owned by the organization she served. She realized it was going to be difficult walking in the dress, let alone trying to run in it. She should have put on the dress and practiced walking in it before tonight but it was too late to brood over it now.

She carefully went down the stairs and out the front door into the cold night that sent shivers down her spine. She had no time to go back in to grab a coat, she knew she was going to be late without having to look at a clock and was worried to hear an ear full from her superior. Quickly walking down the cobblestone walkway towards her destination, she noticed something didn't seem right. She went on anyways, trying to ignore the feeling of discomfort as she got to the city streets, passing the wall of stone and metal fence that surrounded her residence. Turning right and proceeding with quick attempts at walking without tripping on her face, she was beginning to get frustrated and started to regret wearing the costume.

The feeling didn't seem to go away and instead heightened with intensity as she was having trouble breathing, and it wasn't caused by the tight corset around her chest. She knew this feeling all too well, something evil was near and she began to get even more frustrated. She didn't have time to deal with demons and didn't understand why they had been popping up so often lately. She passed the costumed people walking down the cracked pavement and tried to ignore the feelings and just concentrate on making it to the ball.

She began to hear the inhuman voices whispering in the wind, her skirts billowing, as if they were right behind her, grabbing at her. The surrounding area seemed to get darker and colder and the voices more intense as she went further. She had planned on taking the alley routes to cut the time in hopes of getting there faster; to cut through the long blocks and take a quick short-cut to get to the building that she could see poking out from above the other buildings surrounding it as she passed by them. It was so close she could almost touch it and hoped she could get there before trouble started. As she crossed the street and turned left into the alley, she came to a halt as something blocked her path.

Dante was driving down the lamp lit streets of the city, passing crowded bars and clubs of people dressed up in costumes. There were honking cars and people bustling on the sidewalks; he noticed a group of people spraying silly string at each other, laughing and hollering at each other. He just smirked and drove on a little faster down the semi-busy street, looking for anything suspicious. With his keen hearing he heard yelling- a woman's- and it didn't sound like one of merriment. He also noticed sounds that were inhuman, growls and whispers in another tongue. Yep that caught his attention, and he knew it was what he had been searching for all night.

He slowed down his vehicle and parked it, kicked the stand down and turned off the engine, quickly getting off his bike to go assist the woman. Pulling out his scythe with ease, he quietly but quickly went towards the direction of where he had heard the sounds. As he got closer he realized the sounds were coming from an unusually dark alley. The sounds and words were clearer and he stopped to listen. The one talking was distinctly a young woman, her voice laced with frustration and anger. He came in a little closer into the dark alley and could make out a woman's figure. She wore such an outrageous looking dress that he had to hold back his laugh and stay serious as to not draw attention towards him. He also recognized the black shadows with glowing red eyes and knew instantly what they were- demons.

"I'm not afraid of you! Bring it!" she yelled out in defiance, standing her ground against the dark shadows, rummaging through her purse and pulling out a small clear flask.

Dante- intrigued by the display before him- could not help but continue to observe the situation quietly, smirking.

_This is going to be interesting…_ he thought with amusement as a devious smirk crept upon his smooth face.

The young woman opened the flask and swung her right puffed sleeved arm forwards, then back and forth as the clear contents from the container sprinkled the air and the spaces in front of her towards the demons, he assumed it was holy water.

_Since when did people carry around holy water with them?_ he thought questioningly, no one but him did that. And he knew he was the only devil hunter around here so what did that make her? _She just so happens to carry some with her on a whim? I doubt that,_ he finished his thought, concern written across his face as he wondered about it.

The demons only hissed at her attempts and backed away. They seemed to have been badly injured by it but she didn't have enough to get rid of the five that were presently there and they seemed to be strong ones. She didn't seem to know how to use holy water properly, it could have worked in removing one of them, but not all of them, and she had too small an amount for it to properly work for her.

He shook his head disapprovingly as he grinned. _Amateur,_ he thought to himself as he removed his gun from behind his coat.

Noticing her efforts failed, she was beginning to lose confidence but tried not to show it. She yelled at them again to go away and let her pass, because she didn't have time to deal with them. She wanted the creatures to leave her alone but they ignored her, yet she still stood her ground, unafraid. They didn't seem to like it and Dante noticed that they seemed a little hesitant in attacking her, he wondered about that too and thought it was odd.

Then suddenly they all changed into a different form of creeping crawlies of mostly large hissing cockroaches with lingering hints of maggots, large spiders and centipedes and other gross insects and they began to reach towards her. In shock she screamed in fear, backing away, trying to cover her face as if that would hide her away from them and ran blindly into Dante, closing the gap between them.

Her tear filled eyes of confusion looked up at him with surprise and then suddenly she jumped on him in hopes he would protect her from the demons. Her arms wound around his strong broad shoulders in desperation as she screamed in his ears to make them go away in urgency, trying to stay on him and off the ground, her puffed up skirts making it difficult. Taken aback by the girl's reaction, not used to having some woman willingly jump in his arms, he tried to hold her as he complied with her wishes.

He raised his left arm up and aimed his Ebony gun at the repulsive display before him and fired five deadly shots of his blessed bullets at his targets. They exploded in a sick sounding splatter of bug guts and vanished instantly. The girl was still holding onto him in a death grip, her face hiding at the right crook of his neck and he could feel her shivering. He gently sat her down on the ground as she let go of him in distraught, asking if the cockroaches were on her as she unthinkably brushed through her hair with her hands and moved around her body in search of them crawling on her unknowingly. She was freaking out and moving back and forth in front of Dante as she felt nothing there but believed there was.

He shook his head slightly in a 'no' and tried not to laugh at the funny display in front of him. "No they are all gone and none of them are on you from the looks of it. You have nothing to worry about, I blasted all of them away, just calm down, it's all over," he said with assurance and certainty in his tone.

She stopped searching and placed one hand on her chest, taking in deep breaths with her eyes closed in concentration as if to calm herself, slightly shivering as she did so. Dante just looked her up and down and realized she was wearing period clothing of what seemed to be the Renaissance, it was an elaborate costume and it did not look to be the cheaply kind. He put his gun away behind him and just snickered at her, if it was because of what she wore, or the fact that she had tried to fight demons on her own and failed miserably, instead of being scared of their original forms; it had to be bugs that made her blood run cold. Women being afraid of harmless little bugs, he never understood it.

"Sorry for… how I've acted. I have this terrible phobia of cockroaches and I just go berserk when they are around. …I-I didn't hurt you when… I jumped on you, did I?" she said quietly, embarrassment laced in her words as she sort of looked at him; a blush crept up on her cheeks but thankfully the mask hid it from her savior.

She noticed the mysterious stranger also donned a mask, but this one seemed to cover his entire face and he wore a large red hat. She also noticed the clothes he wore: long crimson colored trench coat and black leather pants and vest over his muscular build, from what she could tell. Worn black boots, gun belt around his waist but no guns; she guessed they were hidden beneath his long coat and he was also holding a black scythe that glowed blue and white from its long sharp blade with his right fingerless gloved hand.

Dante couldn't hold it in any longer and just laughed out loud in reply, "Fear of cockroaches huh? And here I thought you would be afraid of the demons more than anything!" he said in between laughs, doubling over as he was snickering at her.

She just looked at him with hurt eyes and was surprised at his outburst. She gave him a scowl, waiting for him to stop laughing but he didn't. Remembering about the ball, she quickly grabbed her skirts and turned away from him, not wanting to stand around and be laughed at, she was definitely late now and David was probably wondering where she was. She could picture his worried face, looking all over for her and she hoped the people who were to be presented tonight haven't already appeared.

"Ah crap! I got to go, sorry! Happy Halloween~!" she yelled back at him with her back already turned, trying not to walk into the bug guts but to no avail; as she quickly went down the alleyway towards the building which wasn't far away, just two more blocks she thought.

Dante, realizing the young woman was already leaving him, raised himself upright and called out to her, "Hey, where ya going! I save your life and get nothing but a rude way of saying 'thank you and good-bye' with you running off and there is no gratitude for my effort? I should get a piece of candy or maybe a kiss on the cheek for it, after all it _is_ Halloween!" he finished with a huge haughty grin, seeing she was almost out of the ally.

She stopped to turn, smiling back at him, "Oh, HA HA, yeah right, in your dreams~! I don't remember that being in the rules for saving someone, but I'm surprised they'd give you candy, let alone a kiss for, your endeavors. Thanks though, I'll make it up to you somehow!" she yelled back giggling, trying to hold the heavy skirt up as she peered at him through her crooked mask.

"How are you going to make it up to me, you don't know who I am or where I live!" he yelled back at her in reply, his hand over his mouth in a 'C' to give his voice more range for the sound to carry for her to hear.

She hesitated, furrowing her brows in thought as of something to say in reply to his questions. That's what she would get when she would say something without thinking, and this put her on the spot, was she really going to see this guy again?

"Uh… what's your name?" she asked uncertain.

"The name's Dante, you?" he said loudly in an aloof tone of voice.

"Angelea…," she replied back with a nervous smile, unsure of herself.

Dante just nodded to this, waiting for her to continue. "I'll… I'll bake you some homemade cookies as thanks for your trouble, how's that?" she asked in a loud voice, hoping that would please him.

Dante just nodded in agreement, adding, "sounds fine, though you're gonna need to know where to drop off the cookies. You can find me at 'Devil May Cry', don't know what that is, look me up. You should have no trouble finding it, it's in the city," he said, giving his scythe a twirl with his right hand, showing off.

Angelea nodded once saying the word 'Devil May Cry' under her breath, furrowing her brows in concentration as if it would help burn in her memory. "Okay… well thanks! I got to go, I'm late! Take care… Dante!" she yelled as she continued at the end of the alley, turning left.

Dante wanted to ask her what it was she was late for and would offer her a lift but it was too late, she was already gone. Sighing, he turned around and went in the opposite direction towards his parked motor bike. He got on it, pulling the keys out of his pocket to turn on the engine. Guess it was time to find more trouble. He turned on the engine and put on the lights, stood up and pushed off to go.

He thought about this mysterious yet unusual girl Angelea, feeling in a very good mood for some reason, maybe it was killing the demons that made him feel this way. He felt really warm and strangely very happy and he enjoyed the short time he had spent with this young woman, which was strange. He couldn't stop thinking about the girl while he was driving along the now busy street and he couldn't help but wonder. There was something very different about her now that he thought on it more but he couldn't put his finger on it. His silver brows furrowed as his expression mildly went serious in thought, he was even curious as to what she looked like since she had had a mask covering half of her face; he wondered if it was as pretty as her voice. One thing that stood out was that she hadn't been afraid of demons, hell, she had been even willing to stand up against them and fight them without any weapon except for a small bit of holy water that didn't do her any good. That wasn't normal for a human, let alone a woman. Usually people would run away screaming in the opposite direction when there was a demon around, but she hadn't; and that really piqued his interest.

He wondered how long it would be before he would see her again, thinking about the homemade cookies that made his stomach groan. He couldn't wait and hoped she would come around soon. Who knew, maybe he would figure out what it was about her and get some answers to his questions. Smirking at the thought, he was content in waiting patiently as he continued on his path hunting demons; hoping it would get his mind off of the girl in the masquerade mask.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A Devils Heart**_

_**III**_

_**The New Arrivals**_

The large old Gothic building was filled with classical music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and other famous classics. The ballroom was huge filled with various masked people dressed in a variety of rich colors in period clothing of the Renaissance. Laughing, eating, talking and dancing were found throughout the spacious room as the masquerade ball of Hallows Eve played on into the night. Everyone was having a great time, all but one certain anxious man stood amongst the crowd in a deep blue period clothing searching for a particular person.

"Where is she!" he muttered under his breath in annoyance as his eyes skimmed up and down the ballroom.

"Where's who?" asked a woman who appeared to be in her thirties, curiosity written on her face.

She wore a deep violet dress of brocade and a silver chemise decorated with silver embroidery and amethysts. Her smiling face exposed when she moved her hand mask that was held by a decorated ribbon stick with matching colors.

The man looked at her, "Angelea." there was annoyance in his tone as he looked away searching for his friend.

"Angelea? She's late again? That girl, when will she ever learn?" the woman giggled, covering her smile with the edge of her mask as she shook her head amused.

"Care to dance with me until she shows up?" the older woman offered laying her laced gloved hand on the broad shoulder of the troubled man before her, knowing that he enjoyed dancing and hoped that it might help calm him.

He shook his head and answered "No", still busy searching the crowd with his pale grey-blue eyes. "Another time Katherine, thanks…" he finished as he removed his suede black hat with peacock feathers decorating the side of it and rubbed his temple, a headache coming on.

His semi-curly, short, dark brown hair was covered again as he put his hat back on his head, sighing in frustration and worry, forgetting Katherine's presence as his mind was busy in thought of another woman. She just nodded in disappointment and left him where he stood, seeing that his interests were elsewhere, and went on to join in on the conversation with a group of women engaging in the latest gossip of O.P.S.C.

After a short while, a man in his early forties walked up onto the decorated stage at the end of the ballroom, accompanied by two younger persons. The older man dressed for the occasion but the other two were not, they looked to be a little nervous and very out of place. The man who fit in held a crystal glass in his right hand and clinked it with a fork loud enough to get everyone's attention.

The music and dancing stopped and the room came to a hush as they waited for the man to speak. Adjusting the microphone stand, he smiled at the audience and started with a joke to lighten the mood and ease his nervousness. Everyone laughed, whispering to each other as they paid close attention to the stage in front of them. As the speech went on about the years work and the plans for the future, he went on to introduce the two people standing behind him, to his right. Smiling, the masked man raised his arm as a gesture for the people to come forward; they obliged and slowly walked forward apprehensively.

By then David was certain Angelea wasn't going to make it and wondered what was keeping her, he was upset, besides being very worried, and was going to have a long talk with her about this. Father Constantine was not going to be happy when he would see that Angelea wasn't here to welcome the new comers.

Later, when Father Constantine called them up to the stage, reluctantly David left where he stood near one of the large marble pillars where he was waiting for Angelea and walked towards the stage, all eyes on him. He knew what Father Constantine would think and dreaded the disapproving looks he would make, especially the one of disappointment. Since Angelea was his responsibility and he was her superior also, the fact that she was late would look bad on him and he hated looking foolish to the higher-ups. Tonight would be Angelea's first time to be a mentor and superior for others below her in the Order and be entered into the _Winged Warriors _which tonight was her ordination into the group. It was an important night for her and she was not here to receive the award, this was a dishonor for him, the Order and her superiors above her.

As he ascended the few steps onto the stage, Father Constantine gave him a questioning look, implying the missing person at hand. David just shook his head, a grave look upon his face as he stood next to the younger man before him, with an interesting looking right arm, he observed. Hushed voices were exchanged in the audience when they noticed that the person who was called up was absent, Constantine looked very upset and disappointed but continued on with his speech as lady Katherine came up onto the stage from the other side carrying three small cherry wood boxes.

Suddenly, sounds and voices went up and the people onstage noticed the racket before them curiously. David realized it was Angelea trying to shove her way through the colorful crowd of masked faces, excusing herself and apologizing as she went trying not to fall. David couldn't help but glare at her, feeling embarrassed at the scene she was making: what she did, good or bad went onto him, and right now she was making a fool of herself which in turn made him look the fool.

Constantine eyed David, giving him a grim look as Angelea was making her way up the wooden steps. She fell on the stage as she tripped on the steps, Nero tried to catch her but David got to her quicker before she fell on her face. He saw green and yellow slime on her when he was raising her up, she apologized and thanked him, trying to straighten herself out to look presentable and failing miserably as David removed a piece of slime from her hair the expression on his face of question. She turned to see what he was doing and looked mortified when she realized what it was and the younger man gave a curious questioning look while the younger woman beside him covered her mouth trying to conceal her slight disgust.

Constantine cleared his throat to get their attention and they quickly stood at attention, Angelea went to stand between David and the youth who appeared serious and feeling quite awkward. Father Constantine apologized for the interruption and continued his speech, beckoning Katherine over to come closer and present the two wooden boxes.

"I present to you our two newest members of the_ Ordo Pius Sanctus Caelestis: The Order of the Holy Saints of the Divine_ who are being accepted into this family of Holy Warriors and I hope that all of you will welcome them into your lives." Constantine said as he began to open both of the boxes that contained a silver and rose gold pendent and the other a ring of the same precious metals.

They pictured an angel holding a sword upward with one hand and holding a staff in the shape of a long cross in the other inset into a rounded star sapphire. The jewelry were blessed and shined brilliantly in the bright light of the room and it was David and Angelea's cue to go up towards Katherine and take the gifts to present to the new arrivals. "The gifts we give to Nero of Fortuna and Kyrie of Fortuna are to recognize them into the Order and to bless them on their journey of redemption. May God shine his holy light upon them as they walk the path of faith." he finished smiling proudly as David went to Kyrie to put the necklace pendent around her small neck over a gold necklace she wore about her.

Angelea went to Nero awkwardly and nervously, "Uhm… which hand do you want me to put.. the ring… oh… uh, I guess the left hand then huh?" her voice went low as she saw his arm, her expression was perplexed by the fact.

She tried to smile to hide her embarrassment when she realized Nero's wicked looking arm glowed blue and she stared at it. Nero was a little tense and felt inept of the situation, agreeing with Angelea as he lifted his left hand for her to slip the ring onto his index finger while he raised his right hand to scratch at his head nervously; noticing that she wore the same symbolic pendent around her neck. She saw he wore another silver ring on his ring finger with a rose insignia on it and it looked plain in comparison to the new ring she just gave him. As soon as she put it on she stood next to him at his right and faced the assembly in front of her, David stood next to Kyrie on her left.

Everyone clapped and cheered after the gifts were given, then Constantine continued on announcing that David and Angelea were to be the new comers' superiors and mentors. The people again clapped and hooted, David just smirked and Angelea gave a nervous smile, uncertain of the task given to her. With the last part of his speech, putting Angelea in the spotlight, Father Constantine presented another gift but to Angelea, honoring her into the _Winged Warriors_. Everyone in the room clapped loudly and cheered again as Angelea went forward apprehensively towards Father Constantine who was revealing a medium size pendant of a rose gold cross with silver wings on both sides of the cross. He turned to Angelea and pinned it onto the front of her dress over the delicate gold chemise that covered her breasts.

He smiled at her and gave her a reassuring squeeze over her shoulder as he turned her towards the gathered people who were still clapping. She just smiled and bowed at them, holding back tears of joy from the honor given to her. It was a dream come true to be a part of the _Winged __Warriors- _an honor bestowed only to a certain amount of people and was not easy to get in to. She had one last test which David was confident she would pass and persuaded Father Constantine to give her the honor on Halloween during the masquerade ball. He willingly obliged, trusting David's opinion, but she wondered if Father Constantine regretted that after the stunt she pulled for being late for the very inauguration into the _Winged Warrior Society_. She hoped not, as she turned to stand next to her new peer, Nero who looked rather young, probably the same age as her.

She almost tripped again but caught herself, hearing the gasps behind her and concealed laughs, Nero gave her a hand making sure she made it back to his side once again. He frowned at the girl, thinking what a klutz she was and how the dress she wore looked absurd, observing that she had some weird kind of goop dried on her dress and hair when he looked closely. He couldn't believe this was his superior and hoped he wasn't going to be stuck with her, assuming she would get them both killed somehow.

Father Constantine ended his speech by again congratulating Angelea, Nero, and Kyrie; wishing them the best and good luck in their lives. He then turned to leave as he descended the steps with Katherine following close behind on the left of the stage while Angelea, Nero, Kyrie, and David descended on the right. The music began to play again, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Bach and the people went on to chattering and laughing and dancing the night away. Some people returned to the tables to dine on the fine cuisine and talk about the event that went on tonight.

People went to congratulate Angelea and welcomed Nero and Kyrie into the Order, wishing them well and blessing them. Angelea hugged the ones who came to hug her, thanking all those who congratulated her, others went to David congratulating him and complimenting him for being a fine mentor, mentioning on how proud he must be of his pupil. Nero just shook hands, nodding with a bored expression, Kyrie mimicked Angelea; overwhelmed by the amount of people coming towards went to hug Kyrie as well, smiling big and congratulating her- taking note that she wore a long white woolen dress with gold embroidery design at the lower hem of her outfit and collar. Four silver buttons aligned the front of her chest and a thin black material lined under her bust and above it and buckled on the sides of her upper arm below the puffed shoulder sleeves. A gold stitched design on both sides of her shoulders where the material puffed out. Thick cream colored cuffs at the end of her long sleeves and matching color material over her chest. She wore modest black heeled boots and a gold pendant of wings crossed over a thin light red gem, holding it in place and another pair of wings spread out. Kyrie had semi-long light brown hair and kind hazel colored eyes that were welcoming. Perfect pale skin and slightly full pink lips that would smile warmly at everyone she met.

Angelea hoped they would grow to be great friends and later turned to Nero about to hug him but stopped herself realizing who it was and instead gave him an awkward handshake. He grasped her hand with his devil arm and gently shook her hand then quickly let go. David shook both Kyrie and Nero's hands, adding his congrats. There was an awkward silence until Kyrie broke it and apologized that they weren't dressed for the event.

"Oh it's alright, it was probably last minute before you two could plan on your costumes. Here, I'll offer you two masks so you two can fit in a little better." Angelea said kindly as she waved over a person who carried around an assortment of masks laid neatly atop a bronze colored tray.

The mask keeper dressed to look like a 'fool' wearing the comedy tragedy mask over his entire face and a jingling fools hat made of motley material. He quickly came by and presented a variety of masks to them. Nero refused to take one but Kyrie gingerly took a white and gold hand mask of colorful feathers which was held by a ribbon stick of silver and gold and thanked him.

Angelea had glanced repeatedly at Nero's unusual arm ever since she first saw it and would look away when Nero caught her staring. She didn't want to appear rude but she couldn't help her curiosity, she wondered if he was born that way.

"Nero, would you join me in a dance?" Kyrie asked bashfully, taking hold of his left arm and gave it a squeeze.

"I don't dance." he replied impassively as he looked around, he wasn't interested in the ball or the idea of dancing, he wanted to leave if anything.

Disappointment crossed Kyrie's face, she was hurt by his answer as she was hoping to enjoy the night by dancing ever since they had arrived.

David saw her expression, "Would you care to dance with me instead, Lady Kyrie?" he said warmly offering his arm for her, smiling.

Kyrie wasn't sure what to say to this, taken back by his sudden offer. Seeing this, Angelea mentioned that David was a wonderful dancer and she would be missing out if she didn't join him, assuring her that she would enjoy herself and that he was a gentleman. After hearing this she agreed and then looked at Nero when taking David's arm, as if waiting for Nero's approval. He nodded his head silently in agreement, looking bored. She smiled and happily went with David, covering half her face with the hand mask and joined the large dance floor amongst the other dancing people.

The scene looked as if one stepped right into the past and entered into the Renaissance era, it was so magical. Nero and Angelea quietly stood there side by side in awkward silence watching the crowd of dancing colorful masked people before them with Kyrie and David dancing together in the organized shuffle. Listening to the soothing music together, Angelea would occasionally look Nero up and down ever so often curiously, acknowledging that he was taller than her, had white hair and was small in build but clearly muscular.

He wore a navy blue suede long coat with red accenting on the insides and the same colored cuffs that rolled up the sleeves and ended at his elbows. There was a strange red symbol on the upper sleeve near his shoulder and large silver buttons lined down the opening of his coat that also had the rose insignia. Underneath he wore a crimson hooded vest that had vertical strips stitched together in a criss-cross manner while two zippers connected the middle over his broad chest, and underneath that it appeared he wore a navy colored shirt. He also had navy blue pants of the same material and a dark brown belt wrapped around his lithe waist connected by a silver belt buckle, matching the symbol of his buttons and ring. Dark brown leather boots with matching gun holsters were buckled around his strong thighs and up towards his waist with the absence of any gun.

She concluded he was a fighting type and wondered if they put him under the Warrior class: the Holy Knights that go out to hunt down demons and devils and send them back to hell. She was under that class but she preferred to be safely behind a desk reading out of one her books rather than fighting and hunting demons which she'd rather be far away from. She then gaped at the strange arm next to her again, mesmerized by its glowing and wicked appearance. It was of a deep red and blue color that glowed blue white at the fingers, top of his hand and palm and continued on down his arm in between the crevices with the blood color red flesh surrounding it. It was so strange and different, she had never met a human with such an arm and it definitely wasn't human; was it surgically put on him for fighting purposes?

Nero once again noticed her staring and out of frustration asked in an agitated tone, "Is there something the matter?" as he looked at the strange woman who stood a couple of inches below him.

Her gaze averted up to look at Nero's handsome blue eyes that were intently glaring at her. Feeling foolish she apologized and asked him about his arm and how he came to have it that way.

Nero was put off by her question and wasn't expecting her to ask such a personal question as he unconsciously tried to hide it behind him, feeling unusually aware of his arm at that moment. Noticing how Nero reacted, she regretted asking the question realizing how rude it was and she didn't mean to make him uncomfortable.

"Sorry… I didn't mean to come off strong and it was rude of me to ask such a question. Forget I ever asked." she said apologetically, sincerity in her voice as she waved her hand side to side as if the notion would make the question disappear from his thoughts.

She left him alone when Kyrie and David returned to them, Kyrie giggling at a joke David had made between them. He handed Kyrie back to Nero and thanked him for letting him borrow her in a dance. Nero frowned at David without saying a word, something seemed to concern him, his thoughts wondering and he didn't seem to like being in the presence of David. Angelea picked that up too and decided that David and her should take their leave and leave the two new-comers alone for the night to enjoy themselves. She went to dance with David and tried to have a merry time, eating sweets and washing it down with raspberry champagne.

The night continued on late into the evening as the masquerade ball came to a close. People departed for their homes and Angelea was already feeling fatigued from the night's event. She was exhausted and needed some rest in the comforts of her fluffy bed that she could have sworn was calling for her. David, Angelea, Nero, and Kyrie left the immensely large gothic building that was clearly owned by the Order, towards their awaited home. Thankfully they had a luxury car to take them home and Angelea was grateful for the fact. Her feet hurt and were probably blistered and she was too tired to walk the seven something blocks home. They drove home in silence, everyone clearly tired, Nero wondered what time it was and what his new place of residence looked like.

They finally arrived to the gates of the large residence, small lamp's lit the path up the circular driveway and towards the entrance to the Victorian architecture with light peering through the tall windows. Two flaming torches lit the sides of the large stone drive-through archway with two wooden glass doors of the entryway that bore carved design of flowers and cherubim. They exited the car, David helping Angelea and Kyrie out gently in respect and then proceeded to open the entryway door and held it open for the three people who followed close behind him to enter in first.

"You should find your things in your new living quarters." David mentioned quietly to Nero and Kyrie, once everyone was in he closed the door behind them.

Nero and Kyrie looked at him and nodded in acknowledgment in silence and then inspected the surrounding area of the Victorian layout before them. The area in the entryway had elegant furniture displayed about with an angelic marble statue at the foot of the stairway, flanked by lilies and irises in long blue vases with a unique design upon them, and a dark wooden stand with old books and other decorative items laid about it. Some paintings hung on the side of the walls and pictures of people they assumed were in the Order over crimson, gold and cream colored decorative wallpaper and cherry wooden floors with colorful floral rugs laying neatly on it.

Angelea was already going up towards the large rounded stairway, tripping every so often and cussing under her breath in frustration. She couldn't wait to get out of the dress and took back the notion of dressing like this everyday, regarding being in the Renaissance as a bad idea. David, Nero, and Kyrie followed suit as David helped her up the stairs towards her room. David gestured Kyrie's room down the hall to their right and the door would be on her left. He then pointed Nero's room which wasn't far from Angelea's room.

"Welcome to O.P.S.C. and I hope you enjoy your stay here. Tomorrow I will assign you to your mentor and partner and will begin from there. Sleep well and see you two tomorrow bright and early. You too Angelea, no sleeping in." he finished with a tired grin at all three of them.

Angelea waved a hand at him in reply as she opened the door, her face clearly showing disinterest to his remark from the lack of sleep. He just nodded then quietly walked away down the other hallway towards his room, unlocked the door, entered and closed it silently behind him to lock it again. All three of them just stood there gazing at one another silently, Kyrie clearly nervous yet tired as she quietly said "Good-night" to the two of them, blowing a kiss at Nero.

Nero just nodded and answered back "Good-night" to her as well, a tired smile in reply. Angelea waved bye to her and returned the favor, her door opened to the dark room before her, some of the candles still burning but most of them burnt out. She looked at Nero and smiled nervously and said "Good-night" to him as well but he didn't answer as he quickly entered his room and closed the door behind him with a thud. A little disappointed by his action, she entered into her room as well and shut the door quietly behind her.

She clumsily removed her dress, fighting with the tied ribbon behind her back once again and cussing all the while in frustration until she finally freed herself from the corset. She gently put it on a near-by chair and remembered to remove the pin that was given to her by Constantine. She then went on to remove her skirts and let them fall to the wooden floor, removed the underskirt wiring and bloomers near her skirt and slipped off the laced knee high socks and threw them on the floor as she was walking towards her bed naked.

She was too exhausted to remove her make-up and didn't care. She would worry about it tomorrow… or later that day since it was almost three in the morning after looking at the bedside clock on the small wooden stand. She set the clock for eight A.M. and then pulled back the silk covers and entered into them, pulling them up so the edges covered her up to the neck.

Her body relaxed as the events that had happened that day seemed to clear away from her mind. She would worry about it tomorrow after she would wake up, remembering the promise she had made of baking cookies for the mysterious man who had saved her from the monsters to Nero's peculiar arm and the honor received by Father Constantine for her hard work and perseverance in the Order. She had worked so hard to get accepted into it and she couldn't help but smile as she looked at the pendant still in her hand, rubbing her thumb on the winged cross. She hoped Father Constantine had forgotten her behavior; she had hoped David had as well, but she had a feeling that may not be the case, knowing him, he was likely to bring it up as soon as he saw her in the morning. She sighed, looking at the full moon outside through the tall window near her bed as she tried to forget the troubled thoughts of the matter. Content, she closed her eyes and tried to rest when sleep overtook her quickly, and she dreamt of the masked man who had rescued her from evil.


	4. Chapter 4

**I Give Thanks: **Again I thank Tora-Katana, Naiya, and _huge_ thanks to Kris for all your help as my betas. I must say this chapter is my best work yet out of all the chapters thus far! I give you all my absolute allegiance and send many heart felt blessing of adoration~

**Author's Note: **Due to my college education my fanfic update to 'A Devil's Heart' will be delayed most indefinitely. As I haven't updated in awhile now and readers are probably wondering why it is taking so long is mostly for this reason. If you go back to later chapters I have finally found betas (which I have mentioned above), to help me go over my work, which will also add to the delay of my future updates since I have three betas go over it with me. And if you do decide to read the other chapters you will see I have improved and tweaked it as this chapter will be much easily read and understood I hope. I know I have trouble with grammar and punctuations as well as putting together sentences to be understandable.

You should take into consideration that English is not my native language and I had to teach myself proper English besides some other outside help. So far many have complimented that I do better in the English language than most.

Now without further ado I hope you enjoy the fourth chapter and the fic itself~ :3

_**A Devils Heart**_

_**IV**_

_**A Pact with The Devil**_

A dark, lifeless place lies within the dreadful royal room of The Devil. The dimmed light from the blood-black candles surrounded the immense, dreary yet magnificent throne room. Thousands of candles and several dull, gold chandeliers above provided the only light that revealed a young, tall and slender man with a death-like appearance standing in the middle of the room; brooding amongst growling devils and hissing demons. The wails of the damned could be heard in the background but not seen, locked away in an eternal damnation. The man stood alone with the Devil before him that was sitting on an elegant throne made of gold bones and other precious metals with rubies, diamonds, black sapphires and other precious and semi-precious stones that glimmered in the flickering light of the candles.

Lucifer silently scrutinized the wretched white haired creature before him before he spoke in a tone laced with death, "Vergil… Son of Sparda."

Vergil just stood there quietly, his ice blue eyes staring down at the Devil in front of him, veiled by the bitter gloom as the Prince of Darkness' shining eyes pierced through Vergil's soul from the shadows.

Vergil wore abrilliant, peacock blue, satin long coat in shades of deep blue that shimmered light blue when the light would hit it. The collar of his coat lifted up to cover his neck and opened at the front to reveal a black hard leather vest over his broad chest and a black satin scarf which tied about his neck, neatly tucked. Silver buttons aligned the long coat, starting at his collarbone downwards to where it ended at his thighs. The length of the coat went down to his ankles, with a decorative gold and bronze floral silk lining the insides of it. Gold colored thread trimmed the edges of the opening of his jacket and on the sides of the sleeves, with five silver buttons lining the sides of both of his jacket sleeves. There was a strange silver thread design that looked almost like a spiked snake with no eyes at the rim opening of the right side of his coat, starting from the bottom right and trailing up around the back of his neck, stopping at the upper left side of his chest, near his shoulders. He wore black, snakeskin pants that were tight, but still loose enough around his thighs and legs. Knee high brown colored boots wrapped comfortably around his muscular legs and double buckled below his knees, which were covered by leather flaps baring a burned design. He wore light-tan, open-fingered leather gloves over the pale flesh of his powerful hands, hands that could easily kill anyone who stood in his way- unless the enemy was immortal, like the ones surrounding him.

Vergil looked dull and filthy from the cruelty in the bowels of Hell, yet he still held an aristocratic beauty of his own. His usual nice attire didn't cover his cold, silent demeanor of emotionless indifference, but the corruption of the Underworld weighed him down and it soiled his very being. The pandemonium would drive any man mad, and there were a few times he lost himself to insanity. Almost every time it had been because he had disrespected the Devil and been imprisoned in an area called "The Pit of Insanity", a small pulsing red room, as if it were the inside of a heart. Every time Vergil had been imprisoned he was always faced with the same recurring act: a sickening display of Dante receiving their fathers devil power, and using it towards him and beating him, slowly torturing him and ripping him apart! The torment and mockery pushed Vergil over the edge but his strong will and the thought of revenge against his brother would snap him back into reality and leave him enough sanity to get through this nightmare of an inferno. Anger was what got him through it- enough to fight his way through endlessly, his fatigue clearly shown in his appearance. When he refused the Devil's summoning, it brought forth an overwhelming number of demons to force him to comply. It was straining and left him feeling exhausted, though he tried to hide it. Now he stood alone in his failure, part of his pride wounded as he wondered what the Dark Lord of Hades wanted of him; to torture him, as many others had done? He would not hesitate to fight back with all the wrath that burned through his very being, despite being outnumbered, he would then, at least, get to relish in the notion of punching the monster he so despised.

"…You called for me… What do you want?" Vergil quietly said in a chilling tone, as if the words were ice through tightened teeth.

There was such deathly silence that Vergil could hear his own heart beat from his chest and wondered if the Fallen could hear it too. A hiss in reply came from the Cimmerian throne seat where his master sat. The white haired man stubbornly stood silently, waiting patiently for an answer and kept his defiant demeanor, as to show no weakness to the creature he loathed.

Breaking the silence the monster spoke in seething arrogance, "I have an important task that needs to be attended to. I wonder if _you _are the one I need to fulfill my request and can do successfully the task I wish of thee." He casually gestured, which Vergil could faintly see, and a pair of demons walked out of the darkness and past Vergil, towards the Pit of Insanity. The Devil enjoyed listening to the screams of those in the Pit, especially Vergil's, which he blatantly took great joy in. "I sent a group to handle this task last night but there was... interference."

Vergil shook his head, annoyed. He was about to leave when all the attention in the room shifted to the rusted valve like door of the Pit opening to reveal a skeleton-like man filled with maggots inside the loose rotten flesh, screaming, holding his head in his hands as the demons tossed the poor man into a sea of blood and fire. Virgil turned back and bowed his head with the respect that was expected of him. Eyes on the floor, he looked at the faded, yet still beautiful art beneath him depicting The Devil ruling the World in a collage that changed every so often, "…What is it that my master wishes of me?" he asked quietly, uncertain in accepting the unspoken task, his face stern.

Pleased with Vergil's uncharacteristic show of obedient allegiance, he continued, "There is a young woman that is of great interest. She is known as Angelea Sanctus and is under the protection of the Ordo Pius Sanctus Caelestis, known in your pitiful tongue as the Order of the Holy Saints of the Divine," he answered in disgust, frowning as if the very mentioning of the Order left a bitter taste in his mouth. "All of my other… efforts… have failed me," his master continued, with a growl as he glared at his followers that stood around his throne. The demons and devils only winced, bowing their garish and disfigured heads while backing away into the darkness of the throne room, out of sight.

Vergil noticed the creatures disappearing into the cold black void; a few whimpered, while others growled or hissed in defiance. Vergil snorted at the pathetic sight, a wicked yet satisfied smirk crept onto his noble, hardened face.

"It seems I have no other choice but to ask you to do this simple task. Are you interested?" his master finished in a calculated quiet tone, laced with venom.

There was a deafening silence- clenching his jaw Vergil considered the dark lords' words carefully, words that sounded almost a plea for his assistance. _A woman… is that all?_ he thought, a brow raised in a silent question.

It seemed too simple of a task but knowing the Devil, it was most likely far from it and would be difficult. But Vergil didn't object to the notion and loved a challenge; he was interested indeed.

"…This woman, what is it you want from her that you need to involve me?" Vergil questioned coolly, wanting to learn more of this assignment.

The fallen prince frowned, annoyed, and glared at Vergil for being too inquisitive; of course, Vergil couldn't see his master's expression and only stared back intently, waiting for the answer.

Angrily, with a hint of frustration, the prince replied, "This woman has something that I must have and I will stop at nothing to get it! She will prove to be a precious addition to this family of ours. Though to retrieve her… I would use caution..."

Vergil contemplated what his dark lord said, knowing he was not finished. "I need you to assist me in… how should I put it,_ persuading_ her for me, since you may seem to have a better outcome than any of us. She does not trust us Devils and always has her guard up when any of us are present. She has no trouble standing up against us," Lucifer shifted in his seat, bringing a hand to rest under his chin, quietly adding, "But you… _you_ are different, you are half human after all," Lucifer said quite amusedly as he smirked behind the shadows, knowing full well that the taboo of mentioning Vergil's human side, as it always appeared to hit a nerve with him; a very tender nerve at that.

Vergil flinched at the mention of him being half human, his hands tightening in a fist, jaw clenching as he ground his teeth behind his tightened lips. He felt the burning rage in his chest that spread throughout his body like a wild fire. He would always show hostility toward the demons who dared mention it in a cruel jape. But here he dare not show his wrath towards the Dark Prince; instead- standing there in a cold, deathly silence, restraining himself from the anger that threatened to take control of him, he just stared into the darkness and burned away on the inside.

"She trusts humans more than us Devils, her ridiculous notion that there is good in everyone, or at least some good in people, which I find laughable. There is no _good_ in any soul of a human but pride, greed, wrath, and lust among many others. Now these things I would consider to be _good_. …Wouldn't you agree Vergil?" he asked proudly as he peered down at Vergil questioningly.

Vergil's tired, dull cerulean blue eyes quietly stared at the black silhouette before him as he stiffly nodded in reply, his pale brows furrowed in thought; it would seem the fallen prince was displeased that he couldn't vex the half-breed before him.

"If you are wondering how you will be released from this place I have it all arranged. We have an informant in the Order who has sworn allegiance to us a very long time ago and has agreed to help you." He then stood up from his scintillated seat and with bare feet, slowly descended down the gold inlaid ivory and ebony steps toward the waiting man he spoke to and continue delightedly, "A powerful sorcerer, he will summon you out of this place and bring you back to the human realm once again. Something which I'm certain appeals to your pleasure?" he finished, as he paused in front of Vergil, a mere few feet from him, glaring down at him with his obsidian, lifeless eyes.

The Prince of Darkness stood menacingly, towering over Vergil. The mildly disheveled young man proudly stood his ground, not wavering in his stance as he stood just as menacingly back at the Devil before him.

_Show no weakness or fear; you are the Son of Sparda. Give them no satisfaction they so pathetically crave. _He thought to himself, the muscles in his jaw tightening in defiance and pride. _What he proposes must be some trickery. Why would he be so willing to free me from this prison? _He wondered quietly in suspicion, his brows furrowed as his cold eyes searched for the answer in the face of the creature of death.

He regarded the prince before him, a slender yet slightly muscular build of chillingly marble flesh with bluish-black veins snaking his body. He wore loose black silk pants laced with silver and gold, which glimmered in the light. His chest was bare with a robe made from the same fine silk hanging lightly over his shoulders, descending down toward the floor, extending out behind him in a long, shimmering river. A smooth material of gold in silver decorum lined the inside of his robe, the material slightly reflected on his pale flesh. A collage of wicked patterns in gold and silver were decorated throughout the hems of his robe, down the train and would engulf around his angelic sigil marking on the back between his shoulder blades. Black opals, amethysts and sapphires in an ornate design glimmered throughout his robe and the sides and hems of his pants. He looked wickedly exquisite yet it scarcely covered his sinful nature. His obsidian hair would glow silver in the candlelight as it fell at the sides of his oval thin face and splashed across his shoulders and chest down to the middle of his sinewy back.

The Dark Prince of Hell looked silently down at the man with careful eyes, to bore into this man's empty soul. Wrath still lingered in this man that seemed to keep his soul alive, refusing to be destroyed, from what he perceived. The half-breed's spirit still grew strong despite Hell's efforts to break him. He was partial to this very fact and believed Vergil would do well for the mission at hand, or so he hoped.

The piercing tone of the Devil's voice broke the silence, "Of course… I will greatly reward you for your efforts, Vergil. Grant you whatever your cold, black heart desires…" he hissed, the words rolling off his venomous tongue as he smiled, revealing a couple of sharp canines that glistened in the dim light.

Vergil returned his attention back at his master. This piqued his interests; those words the creature had said repeated in his mind like a broken record. _Anything I desire…_he thought, eyes closed as he pondered.

What did the Son of Sparda want? Love? Power? …Revenge? Yes, Vergil wanted revenge ever since he was trapped here, besides wanting the power he so desperately searched for in attaining his father's abilities. These two were what he yearned more than anything, and the chance to be back in the light of day on Earth seemed too good to be true. To breathe in the fresh air that did not stink of sulfur, smoke and death and did not burn your lungs with every shallow breath. To be free from here and to revel in the pleasures of life on Earth once again, a concept he had almost lost hope of. The things he foolishly took for granted and had been denied since being condemned here, trapped… by his brother. The never ending torment of longing and memories of a past he wished to be forgotten, the excruciatingly painful hunger and thirst his body yearned for and that he mourned when it was never satiated. To have a drop of cold, fresh water moisten his lips would be pleasing enough but you would not find such a simple thing here to satisfy a broken body.

A decision was made from his roaming thoughts, as he looked up at the jet black, malice filled eyes that belonged to the creature he loathed to call his master.

"…I have decided," came the deep, calm reply that was Vergil's.

"And what have you decided on my offer?" came the response, in a serious tone, the weight of the Pit was in those words, if Vergil refused him; all pleasantness had disappeared, the smile turned into a grim, tight line across his perfect face.

The Devil waited in anticipation, his impatience clearly showing now that he was not answered quickly enough for his liking. "I will accept your offer on the condition that when I succeed I will not be returned here and will be freed from this realm. If you give me the power I've always wanted, I will do this task that you ask of me, and I will willingly serve you without disloyalty, but know that I will have my revenge as well, and there's nothing you nor your demons can do to stand in the way of that." Vergil finally answered strongly, in a monotone voice, arms crossed behind his back, head slightly raised as he gazed at the fallen prince to view his reaction to his response.

Lucifer just looked at him in amusement. A sinful grin slowly crossed his face in a wicked, menacing way. A rumble from his chest broke through his thin pale lips as he laughed loudly in a deafening sound, as it echoed in the void of the large room held up by the veined marble pillars. Vergil glared coldly at him, wishing he had his Yamato, feeling insulted, and wondering why the dreadful man was laughing when it was clear it was at him.

Lucifer walked around the half-breed slowly while smiling and questioned, "Is that all you want? No kingdom of your own nor riches? Immortality or the love of someone you desire or even to physically change who you are? I understand power… most always ask for such but you wish for revenge too? Why do you not wish for more from me when what you ask is so little? And here I thought you were greedy," he paused, close to the young man before him as he faced him again, taking delight that his closeness made Vergil uncomfortable.

Vergil could feel the wretched, cold breath that came from the prince, which gave a tingling sensation on the skin of his face, sending unwanted shivers down his spine. He averted his eyes away from the peering black orbs that gleamed in amusement.

"…That is all I wish for, give it to me or leave me alone…," he finally answered in a seething tone.

Lucifer just smirked and walked forward a couple of feet, his back towards Vergil. "So be it… but I warn you… if you shall fail me in this simple task, _I _will have your soul and you will be returned here whether you are kicking and screaming or fruitlessly fighting your way out and nothing, not even your fathers power can help you save yourself." He turned to face the man he was threatening, eyes glowing as the room suddenly gotten darker with groans and cries seeping from the shadows, "You will burn in the fires of Hell for all eternity, tormented in the ways you never dreamed possible, that you will know the true meaning of being forsaken and in misery. Do I make myself clear… Vergil?" he questioned challengingly in a chilling tone laced with malice, standing at arms length in front of the pale man.

Vergil could feel the suffocating negative energy that seemed to envelop him. Feeling agony that overwhelmed his battered body as he cringed, his knees buckled beneath him and he had to put his weight on his left leg and arm to keep from falling head first onto the floor. His right slender fingers grasped at the scarf wrapped around his neck, trying to loosen it to help him breath but found it did not help as he gasped for air, chest tightening, while it felt as though his heart would burst from his chest. Lucifer came down to the gasping man's eye level, observing that his eyes were turning red and moist with unshed tears.

The usual evil smirk crossed his lips and in a stern tone, "…Do I make myself clear?"

"…Ye-…y-yesss." Came the barely audible, reply, squeezed out between gasps.

Pleased with the answer, he stood up, the room changing back to its usual appearance. Vergil coughed and gasped, feeling the pain slowly ebb away as he gradually stood up straightening himself, feeling quite humiliated in front of all who silently watched. Facing him, the Prince of Darkness held an altheme made of bone in his left hand. The hilt was decorated with gold and ruby star sapphires inlay. The blade sharp and pointed in a cream color as it broke into the pale flesh of its wielder; a deep red-black seeped out from the line the knife left behind on the palm of his long hand, the cold liquid dripping in several splatters of chaos onto the floor. He handed the knife to Vergil, who in turn hesitantly, did the same to his right hand after removing his dark beige colored glove, reminding himself to show no fear as he cut into his thick flesh. After making the same flesh wound he let the altheme fall onto the floor, forgotten as it made a loud clang that echoed off into the darkness that surrounded them. The prince held out his hand and Vergil grasped it strongly, their blood intermixing for a moment as the white haired man stared at their hands. His jaw clenched as he cringes slightly at the contact with the monster's hands, feeling the bitter chill of its blood seep into his veins, causing goose bumps to crawl on his skin. It was a very uncomfortable feeling and he quickly let go of the creature's grasp, looking at his hand, observing that the wound was slowly closing, caused by his demonic-half 's ability to quickly heal.

He stepped back to put more of a distance between him and his lord, letting his hand rest at his side into a fist. He noticed that the Devil's hand also healed instantly, leaving no trace of a scar but left behind a residue of his blood to indicate what was once there. A pact with The Devil was made and it was too late to turn back; now he must look forward and make certain he completes this task no matter what. Nothing would stand in his way and he would kill any who dared. He would not allow himself to lose his freedom again, even if it killed him, and if it means he has to "persuade" a meaningless woman- however trivial it may be, to attain his freedom, then so be it!

"The time has come and you will be leaving soon. Prepare yourself and tread carefully once back in the human world. Do what the sorcerer asks of you without disobedience and be wise in your endeavors. I will not tolerate failure lest you crave the wrath from my brethren and I. Heed my warning of the woman you are after, she is not like anyone else…" Lucifer said coldly as he glared down at the half-breed menacingly in warning, "And remember what I have said if you fail me…" he hissed as his bony finger went across his slender, veined neck as a cut across his throat.

Vergil nodded in a silent acknowledgment, never flinching as his ice blue eyes stared back into the dead ones, muscles in his jaw tightened and hands clenching into a fist so tightly, so harshly he could feel his nails tear into his flesh. He stiffly and respectfully bowed, as it was expected of him, as he slowly backed away, then lifting up to turn and walk into the shadows, never glancing at the snickering demons and growling devils that failed to frighten him. As he quickly walked away from the dead throne room of the Fallen and their Dark Prince he began to feel much better. He made his first act towards freedom to return his glove to his hand, returning the want to drive his fist into the face of his ashen oppressor.

Feeling relieved that he was leaving behind this God forsaken place, he speculated how much the Earth had changed, knowing he had lost all sense of time since he'd been imprisoned here, and wondered how soon he would see his little brother. He was hell bent on showing Dante the torment he had been forced to suffer in this wretched place. Soon he would have his vengeance, and the quicker he finished this bothersome task, the sooner he would be free from the Prince of Darkness and his minions and this forbidden place he rather soon forget. Free to return to his life of solitude and its pleasures; he could almost taste it. He'd forgotten what it was like to taste water, to feel the brilliant warmth of the sun, the smell of nature and its crisp breeze- he would try to imagine all of this in his mind's eye but would fail to do so from the terrible sounds around him leaving him cold and yearning. And to be able to experience it again soon, he would never take anything for granted, even the simplest of things as he waited patiently to be summoned out of this nightmare.

_I'm going to sound quite pathetic and letting go of my pride for the moment but… Please have mercy and review my story. I yearn for reviews like Vergil yearns for water, like the Devil yearns for souls, like the dead yearn for life! I need reviews in order to live on and continue writing this fic because they inspire me and let's me know if I'm doing well in my writing. I also just enjoy reading what people have to say with their constructive criticism. :P_ _…please have mercy… ;_;_


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: **Sorry this chapter took awhile, because of the holiday's and my 7X7 class (A Sociology college class that was 7 days for 7 hours took up most of my time, thankfully I got an 'A' in that class! Whew~) The good news is I'm working on the 6th chapter, the bad news is my classes will be starting up again on the 12th, so I'll be back to my busy life as a student once again. I will do my best in trying to work on "A Devil's Heart" when I'm able to and keep my fans updated. :3 Happy New Year everyone and hope your holidays were a blast~ …mine was… awkward… I just hope this new year is better than the last 5 years… D: Also I would like to thank Tora-Katana, Naiya, and Kris for taking the time in going over this chapter during the business of the holiday's, I am in your debt and appreciate your willingness in helping me in my work. Thanks and Happy New Year~! :3

Tora-Katana and Ellipse777- thank you for your _actual _reviews which were quite helpful, I will take what you have said into consideration and try to improve more in future chapters. I am glad that some have liked the 4th chapter as my betas would agree and a few friends that enjoy reading my fic. I will do my best to continue in improving in my writing and bring forth more creative and interesting chapters in the future~ Enjoy the 5th chapter and don't be shy to leave a review~! :D

_**A Devils Heart**_

_**V**_

_**Veneficus Ambrosius**_

The large, dark and ominous room sported elongated windows, allowing the light of the moon to creep in. A hooded, black-robed figure holding a long piece of white chalk quickly drew a large circle on the dark wooden floor, his strokes forming markings of ancient knowledge long forgotten by time. Within the circle he drew two smaller ones, first left, then right, with the same ancient glyphs. Dozens of black and red candles lit the round room, giving it an eerie ambience in the open space. The candles sat quietly upon wooden tables, shelves, the floor, the windowsills and an antique table, which held a few large, old books of advanced sorcery, their pages delicate, and stained yellow from time. The robed figure began to speak in a whisper in a tongue long dead: the ritual had begun.

"I seal the circle to lock the soul of the one whom I summon. The moon cries as it slowly dies, the blood moon comes…" a man's deep voice began the incantation, bellowed in the old language, as the speaker raised himself up to stand next to the candle covered table, a few ancient Grimoires opened to the specific summoning spell. As he continued the candles began to flicker.

He lifted a long sword similar to a Japanese O-katana- imbued with tremendous magic from long ago- from the round wooden table. Grasping the pure white hilt firmly with slender hands near the gold decorated hand guard, he quickly removed the clean blade from its smooth, black lacquered scabbard with lightning like patterns decorating its ends, the long gold cords gently swaying in the chilled air. Gently setting the scabbard down onto the table, the tall figure turned to face the white symbol on the floor, gazing at the moon in the dark night sky through the clear tall windows.

"…With this key I hold, I summon thee. The Seed of Sparda shall come to unto me," continued the figure in a calm voice as he lifted the sword to the moon, observing it was close to time. A total lunar eclipse was at hand as the moon was nearly consumed by the mysterious, dark shadow.

An old, elaborate grandfather clock clicked into the Devil's Hour as the loud gongs rumbled out from its creaking glass window and wood, announcing its time, echoing throughout the large expanse of an eighteenth century Renaissance style mansion. The shining eyes intently watched the moon be swallowed up by darkness. There was a moment of empty blackness in the sky, when suddenly the moon glowed blood red, its light dimly illuminating the room in a wicked glow of crimson. The robed figure wrapped his left hand around the sleek blade, casting off hesitation, and quickly sliced through his flesh without flinching, letting the dark, sanguine droplets fall onto the white symbol below, still speaking in tongues in a loud authoritative tone, the light of the candles flickering rapidly.

"I give thee my life's blood to summon and bind thee to me, lest the angel of death or my will sever this bond. With all my power, heart and soul, I summon forth the Son of Sparda and awaken the soul of Vergil!" yelled the man as he turned to the two empty circles, the left being filled by a bloody palm, the right with a sharpened blade.

As soon as his hand and the blade touched the white markings, they began to glow from a deep red to a hot white and back. The candles suddenly extinguished, as shadows enveloped the room, the red glow of the lunar eclipse and summoning circle illuminating the room in a disturbing hue. The old house began to shake and rumble loudly, the table falling sideways, its contents cluttering onto the mahogany floor, away from the figure. A mysterious gust of wind blew the man's robes out from behind him and an inhuman roar filled the air. The room filled with heat and quickly cooled as a bright flash consumed the room and then faded to blackness. A slender man in deep blue crouched within the burnt circle in the middle of the room, the chalk markings gently smoldering into the wood before extinguishing into bitter smoke. The smell of sulfur and thick smoke subtly filled the air, the smoke twirling from the heavy breaths of the two beings.

The robed man quickly stood up, appearing prideful, to behold the creature he successfully summoned, the large hood partially concealing the wicked grin that crept across his lips as he yanked out the sword from the burned, wooden floor and sheathed it.

A strong voice sliced through the silence in the oval room, "…Welcome to the realm of the humans… Vergil," the sorcerer slowly declared in an accent, a hint of arrogance in his tone as he watched intently the crouched figure.

Vergil slowly stood from where he kneeled, ignoring the remark, his eyes closed as he took in a deep breath of Earthen air with a hint of smoke; the scent of sulfur had already disappeared. The air quickly filled his lungs in a tingling sensation, as if reviving the life in his body. He slowly exhaled, savoring the simplicity of breathing clean air and feeling the sensation that his surroundings did not consist solely of agony and despair. Enjoying the simple silence, one that was not constantly filled with tormented screams and groans of the damned and the devil's unmistakable roars and growls, with the occasional laugh at those who were suffering. As a slight smirk fell upon his tired, hallowed face his body shivered at the simple pleasure of being alive.

_ God, this feels so good. _He thought in amusement.

His serene moment was shattered, his eyes snapped open as he heard the man's voice and he was immediately aware of all the troubles of being alive, and the realization of his body's fatigue and hunger that left him a feeling of discomfort.

"I present to you this sword, returning it to its rightful owner," said the mysterious cloaked man before him in a heavy black silk robe, his face hidden beneath the hood, his arms were stretched out, holding the long sword out with both hands, palms up.

Vergil peered at the sword presented before him and; to his surprise, he recognized it. It was his cherished Yamato, the very sword his father had wielded and had left it to him as a young boy after he had died. He then became very much aware of the half-Perfect Amulet pendent he still possessed, secretly hidden beneath his clothes, the sacred piece given to him by his late mother. Memories of his past flashed into his thoughts, haunting him again, forcing him to focus on where he was. He slowly walked to where the man stood and paused a few feet from him, taking in the subtle beauty of the sword before he firmly grasped the scabbard, slowly lifting it away from the silent sorcerer, who bowed his head slightly in respect. Vergil reverently drew the blade, slowly looking over its graceful curve, seeing it had been well taken care of as his reflection gleamed from the flat of the exquisite devil blade.

"…Who are you?" Vergil asked in a slow, suspicious tone, observing that the man was of equal height to him.

The summoner grinned wickedly and replied haughtily, "I have many names… At one time I was known as Veneficus Ambrosius: The Immortal Sorcerer. But all those who knew me as such are long past dead. You may call me Master for now…" After hearing that, Vergil frowned in disgust at the notion of having to call another revolting being his "master."

He wanted to instinctively cut the man in front of him into several pieces, to release his long held anger gained from Hell's fury, to cover the floor with the sorcerer's blood and spit on his dying remains. His rage slowly boiled to the surface, grinding his teeth as he tightly held the sword in his hand, resisting the temptation, remembering his first master's warning to him if he should ever be disobedient. So instead, he nodded silently, accepting his "master's" wishes.

His new master just smiled at his compliance and continued, "…_Good_, I am pleased that you willingly acknowledge my superiority. If you dare disobey me and try to do anything foolish, believe me, you will regret it," he finished in a serious tone as he pulled out a small object from underneath his robes and held it out to Vergil.

"Wear this around your neck. Keep it on you at all times and never remove it." Vergil absentmindedly took the small object held by a metal iron chain into his hand. "It is a powerful charm I prepared for you. It will prevent anyone from noticing you unless you allow them to notice you by initiating conversation or do something that will make one notice you such as harming or killing someone which I advise you don't do unless there are no witnesses. But even still it is a risk and you and I cannot afford to draw attention towards us by any means," the man added in a low, serious accent.

Vergil was very displeased by hearing this, his expression quickly became a scowl in the shadows. His ideas of revenge were being slowly pulled out of reach and he wasn't going to allow it.

"I was promised my revenge; you will not deny me that!" he spat out scornfully through clenched teeth as he boldly pointed an angry finger at his master, his sword resting at his side for the moment, anticipating bloodshed.

The Immortal Sorcerer raised his head defiantly, "We will see about this revenge of yours… but for now do nothing but the task you were sent here to do. If you cannot even do that I can always send you back!" he snapped, angry at Vergil's impertinence.

Vergil quietly lowered his head in obedience as his tightened fist fell to his side, his body slightly shaking in rage. It took all his willpower not to tear the man apart with his bare hands as he noticed the scent of blood in the air.

"You are here to serve me and our Lord, not to fulfill your foolish whims. I may allow you to have this revenge of yours once I know I can truly trust you and that you can be relied on in this goal of ours. I'm certain you know why you are here?" his master asked, slight frustration in his voice.

Vergil nodded in irritation, angry with the situation, answering quietly, "…Yes," as he observed the area around him with his glowing eyes, the dim light of the moon gently illuminating the dark room.

The room had several bookcases embedded in the walls, filled with old books. Unlit candles were strewn about the floor and windowsills with some on their sides. A small, fallen table with a few books on the floor near it, assuming it all fell from the ritual that took place not too long ago. Several large, elegant wooden tables and chairs had been stacked off to the side near the walls, windows, and bookshelves, apparently to give more space in the room for the ritual, though the tables looked too big and heavy for just one man to move. The giant crystal chandelier swaying gently on the tall ceiling above and the room's dark walls covered with paintings of angels and far off lands brought a sense of elegance to the room. A very large fireplace with the remains of burned wood off between the walls and bookcases with a beautiful giant painting above it lay silently off to his right. It appeared to be a personal library, something that Vergil was fond of, as he had enjoyed reading books on many things that had piqued his interests. It had been a very long time since he had read a book, smelled of its ink and old pages, the feel of its weight in knowledge and its crisp paper between his fingers as the words took him somewhere far from here or taught secrets of things unknown or the history of man's past.

"Splendid, saves me from having to explain things to you. I warn you to go about this task intelligently but with caution, which I have no doubt will not be difficult for you, since our Lord has personally chosen you to do this." Turning away from Vergil while he picked up the table and books from the floor, carefully wiping the covers with his unbloodied hand and laying them on the surface of the table quietly, before he continued, "You may go about your business in the city and this property. You will have easy access to the Order's property as well, in which you can freely walk among others without being noticed. With this in mind, I would quietly observe the person you are here for, Angelea Sanctus." He said, turning to face the white haired man again, his focus went away from the shelved books and listening intently to the words of his "master", "I could tell you who she is but it would not help unless you experienced who she is yourself. Her personality, her likes and dislikes, how she thinks and acts, et cetera. It is your responsibility to know her personally and to use that information to help in your endeavors to bringing her to our side." He tilted his head slightly, face still hidden.

Vergil wondered who this man was and what he looked like beneath the protection of his plain robes. The robed man continued in a low tone, "You are here to assist me and nothing more. Do as I say and there should be no misfortune to you. What I ask of you is simple and should be easily done. But I must warn you, do not reveal your past and why you are truly here or anything else that can cause question and ill effects against you, especially from Angelea, she is smarter than you may be led to believe and likes to ask questions," the robed figure warned as he began to walk past Vergil, exiting the private library into the wide hallway.

Vergil took this as a sign to follow him, passing closed doors and open rooms, down towards the two winding stairways which lead into the large, main entryway. Following the droplets of a blood trail that came from beneath the confines of the black robes made keeping up to his "master" an easy task.

The man continued on as they slowly descended the staircase, his tone changed, a hint of warmth in his words where it was once indifferent and cold, "An innocent yet naïve girl, she loves to learn and understand everything around her. Do not be put off by her personality and actions, she likes to please people and is friendly," pausing near two very large ebony wooden doors, slits of stained glass and carvings decorating it in intricate designs, an unseen smile was attached to his next words, "Quite an amicable girl, actually." The robed man quickly turned to face Vergil who stood silently a few feet away, watching as he listened to the man intently "But I warn you, if you harm her in any way, you will be answering to me and I will not hesitate to send you back from whence you came. Understand?" he stated loudly, the warmth disappearing from his words and returning to its normal coldness.

"…I understand," the tall, pale man replied as he slowly came down the rugged steps, shining eyes peering at the mysterious man he has already began to loath.

The Immortal Sorcerer nodded and continued with his directions as he pointed at a circular dial above the door to his right, "This dial here, when turned to the specific points above it, will open a gateway that will teleport you to three different locations," he pointed at one of the parts colored in white, "This one will take you to where this house presently is located which is outside of the city, far away from the Order's location," he then pointed to the red part, which is where the point was presently on, "This will take you to an old abandoned building that is six blocks away from where the Order is, between the temple and the Order's personal residence which is my other home. This is where you can easily access both locations without much traveling," lastly, he pointed at the black part, and in a serious tone, "This one is none of your concern and I would advise that you keep your curiosity to yourself since this one has no benefit to you."

Vergil nodded in acknowledgement, already at the bottom of the staircase, his body already yearning for rest and food- feeling fatigued, as he put a steady hand onto the decorative wooden railing to prevent himself from falling. The man noticed this slight act from Vergil but took no heed and continued on silently towards another area located at the back of the large expanse of the home on the ground level. Vergil followed after, taking no notice of the mostly darkened rooms lit up by the light of the moon as they passed. Keeping sight of his master who paused in a large room which was the servants' kitchen area and connected pantry, Vergil observed a large wooden island in the middle of the room with a bowl of fresh fruit upon its smooth surface. As he focused on the apples, pears, and grapefruit, his eyes locked on each and slid off to the next only to go back again, his mouth watering at the site of them, as he swallowed his hunger.

The sorcerer snatched a hand towel and began to wrap it around his bloodied left hand tightly, "Help yourself to anything you like in here since this will be your home for the time being. You are free to roam and have access to anything in this house except my room, which is forbidden. If you are wondering where that is located, it is upstairs and is the only room I keep locked," he finished in his strange accent.

The sorcerer then went to another stairway which was connected to the kitchen, going up the narrow servant's staircase. Vergil quickly grabbed a ripe pear without the other noticing as he held it firmly in his right hand to conceal it and proceeded to follow silently behind him. Passing more rooms down another long hall, they stopped in front of a closed door, which the sorcerer quietly opened and revealed an ample size bedroom. In it was a large canopy bed with feathered pillows and a folded blanket of heavy material at the foot. The room was refurbished with all the needs a person would have in the comforts of their own room. Unexpectedly, a quiet meow came from the shadows as a black Norwegian Forest cat with blue eyes jumped atop the bed, purring as it settled in the heavy floral, satin covers of deep blue and silver. Vergil frowned at this; he wasn't going to be sharing his living space with an annoying, shedding cat.

"This will be your room, the cat you see there is Minerva and I would advise you don't let her outside of the house into the city area. The place this house is located in is fine for her to roam freely since it's mostly forest outside," the man informed as he stood inside Vergil's room to gently remove the cat from his bed which meowed in protest, then walked back towards the door and paused near Vergil, the feline purring loudly in the mans arms. "…I must go now and will leave you alone in this mansion, but I shall return later within a few days. Rest, and then begin the task you were brought here to do. Do not disappoint me…" he said in a low warning in the accent Vergil couldn't quite place, as the man turned to leave, cat in hand, and quietly disappeared around the corner into the darkness.

Vergil was left alone in his new place of residence as he surveyed the dark room. It was quiet but cold, despite its elegance. Seeing the bed made him suddenly exhausted as he closed the door behind him and walked towards the bed. He set his sword near the bed, resting it on the wall, adorned with blue flower wallpaper. He looked at the pear in his hand and decided he was too tired to even eat, so he gently laid it on the antique nightstand for tomorrow morning's meal. Aware of the charm he still held in his other hand, he inspected it. It had a small metal flask, half the size of his finger, with an insignia carved into it that looked strangely familiar. The object probably contained the specific herbs and ingredients needed to make the charm work. He put the charm around his neck and hid it beneath his clothes.

He fell back onto the down feather bed and its enveloping top cover, then slowly grabbed for the blanket at the foot of the bed and casually covered the mid part of his body as he allowed his eyes to drift closed. The long awaited rest quickly came over his body as it went limp, the muscles relaxed, his breath shallow as his abdomen gently raised up and down in a slow rhythm. His mind going numb and clear from the thoughts of tomorrow and his duty, for now rest was what he yearned for, what had been denied him for so long. It felt exquisite to be able to sleep again as he slowly drifted away into pleasant darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **_**Translations**_ will be located below the page of this chapter in case you are unfamiliar with the languages that I included in this chapter which is obviously not in English. Class has started for me and I was able to get this chapter done beforehand, so you guys are lucky~ Thanks Tora-Katana for you review once again, it gave me some insight to my work. I hope you like this one even better. ;3

**I Give Thanks: **I give thanks to Naiya and Kris for your help, especially Kris, your help going over this made this chapter even better I think. :3

And I hope everyone has enjoyed the story thus far, the plot thickens- I wonder if any of you will start trying to figure out who the Immortal Sorcerer is. :P Thanks for reading and following the fic, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will try to get the 7th chapter up when I am able to. Don't be scared to review and have fun reading~! Until then, ado~

_**A Devils Heart**_

_**VI**_

_**Unwelcome News**_

A loud knock came from the door. No answer but the sounds of birds singing in the early morning outside the sun warmed windows. The knocking continued, the gentle sound of flesh thumping on wood reverberated in the large, quiet room causing the person in bed to slowly arouse from their deep slumber.

"Sister Angelea? …Are you awake, Angelea?" came the concerned woman's voice.

Angelea groaned, missing the peaceful rest, which had seemed short lived, her body feeling tired and unsatisfied, yearning for more sleep. After realizing someone was at her door, still knocking loudly, she slowly came to a sitting position in her bed, the silken covers slipping to her lap, revealing her bare chest.

"…Yeah, who is it?" she asked in dismay after tiredly glaring at the black hands of her bedside clock: six fifty-six A.M.

"It's me, Katherine… I brought you your new uniform to wear today and onwards as the new member of the Miles Alatus Sodalacium," answered the familiar voice of the lady that was the mother she never had.

"O-Oh… hold on a minute, be right there!" came the excited yet tired reply as she threw the covers off her feet and jumped out of bed, though she did not free her foot quickly enough, resulting in her falling to the floor with a thump. Ignoring the questioning voice of the waiting woman, Angelea quickly got up and grabbed the white robe that neatly lay at the foot of her bed, wrapping it around her petite body and messily tying the front closed.

Angelea moved with quick strides, making sure not to step on the dress the waiting woman had made for her, hoping it did not show that her grogginess of the former evening had made her throw it mindlessly to the floor. She came to her door and quickly opened it to reveal a woman who stood quietly with a brand new uniform of gold and snow white, neatly folded with a pair of unworn white ankle boots, buttoned up the side with brass buttons, sitting atop the clothes as they were offered out towards the new member. The woman smiled sweetly at Angelea who hesitantly took the clothes into her arms, looking at them in wonderment and still unbelieving that she really made it as memories of the night of her award at the ball flashed through her mind, causing her to grin.

"Good morning Sister Angelea, did you sleep well?" came the friendly question from the woman who stood wearing the same white and gold uniform, the Winged Warrior pendent neatly pinned above the right side of her ample bust.

Nodding and replying cheerfully, "Mm, yes, though… I still feel really tired. I don't think I got enough sleep last night, it was late by the time I went to bed," the dark circles noticeably present under her mismatched eyes as she clenched the front of her robe closed modestly.

Katherines' thin blonde brows furrowed in concern, the smile slowly disappearing from her round face, "Ooh that's not good, you have a big day today where you need your full attention and alertness to do your Alatus Miles Exam. You can't afford to be tired, especially with the third exam, which is the most important," came the motherly scolding as the older woman crossed her arms and noticing something small and whitish-brown dried into Angelea's silver hair, "I have no doubt you can pass the first two exams, but the last one is vital; especially since you've already been accepted before taking the exam which has never happened in the history of this Order," she couldn't help but stare at the specks in question, which appeared to be all over her hair, trying to be polite and focus at the young woman before her, "…I-It would not look good for you nor Brother David if you shall fail, which is why I worry for you… I know how you are and I know you are just as nervous about the last one just as much as Brother David is, since he is the one who persuaded Father Constantine to allow you to join the Society before taking the Alatus Miles Exam, and- …I'm sorry to sound rude but… what _is_ that in your hair, my dear?" she asked with a sigh as she gently removed a piece of something in the girls' hair.

Angelea expression changed from uneasiness to confusion as she absent mindedly brought a hand to her messy hair, saw what Katherine removed from her and realized what it was. The memory of last nights attack by those wretched creatures exploding bug guts came flooding back, and with it the very bugs that had brought a crippling shiver throughout her body and threatened to plague her mind as she quickly looked away. She had totally forgotten last night about being filthy from the mess that mysterious masked man made and resisted the urge to run into the shower and scrub the flesh off her to rid herself of the dirtiness that covered her from head to toe, as she sat the clothes down on the unmade bed. Katherine observed the room and to her dismay, instantly noticed her creation laying in a silver-gold heap on the cherry wooden floor.

"Oh Angelea dear, you shouldn't leave the gown I made you on the floor like that, you should put it back on the stand where it belongs so it's safe from harm." Katherine mentioned in disappointment as she quickly picked up the heavy gown gently from off the floor.

Angelea apologized for her carelessness as she helped Katherine; carefully picking up the gown so as to make sure the dress was not caught on anything or by unseen splinters from the floor. As they awkwardly put it on the stand in the corner of her room near the giant mahogany wardrobe, Katherine began to tie the ribbon behind the bodice while Angelea held it in place for her.

"You should prepare, the exam will start in two and a half hours, so I would advise you hurry up and get ready. Oh, and see Brother David, he's with Father Constantine at the moment," she added as she peered down at Angelea who's expression quickly changed from concern to worry again at the mentioning of today's events.

Angelea turned away from Katherine, anxieties beginning to build up inside her as she followed Katherine's advice. Thoughts plagued her mind as she wondered who it was from the Society she would be facing in the final exam and dreaded the idea of having to fight anyone. Being a pacifist, she thought it ironic that they put her in the Warrior class even though they knew her beliefs. And David encouraging her to use her abilities bothered her; she doubted herself and hated using them to hurt someone. But David assured her that her abilities would be used against their enemies and to protect the good.

_ …Easier said then done,_ she thought, _I'm the one pressured into having to fight when I don't want to. I'm content with reading books all day or teaching the younger generation and caring for them like Mother Katherine or Sister Mary does. Why can't I do that! It's not fair…Ugh… I better hurry and shower, rid my body of this… _she shivered as she didn't dare complete the thought of her phobia covering her body. Miserably, she gathered her new uniform from her bed and went toward her private bathroom, her mind wrought with growing anxieties.

"You will do fine on the exam Sister Angelea, I believe you will pass it so try not to worry about it. I'm sorry for what I said earlier… Just don't think too hard on it and concentrate on what you must do and you will do fine I'm sure, worrying about it won't help you one bit." Katherine continued and tried to reassure her but Angelea was not paying attention, her mind already lost in thought as she was in the bathroom preparing for a shower, the sound of falling water drowned out the last part of Katherine's words.

Katherine sighed and shook her head as she began to pick up after the girl who left quite a mess after last night's event. She took note of the Society's pendent: a simple rose gold cross flanked by an angelic pair of shining silver wings, and she smiled as she touched her own, pinned on her chest. She was very proud of Angelea and knew her dream to be part of the Society had come true. She just hoped she survived its harshness. The Society is always fighting off the demonic threat that plagued to take over this world and hoped Angelea would help keep mankind safe, even if it was from her. The Society had kept a secret Prophecy from Angelea, to be kept until it came to pass that it must be revealed to her but thought it best to never have to. They believed to keep her from experiencing the outside world would help keep her safe from harm and any evil or sinful influences that would lead her astray and so far it seemed to have worked. It was very fortunate that Brother David Draggon found her on the steps of the church orphanage run by the Order and how he took care of her as his own, with the help of others in the Order It was a mystery on how Angelea came to them without any knowledge of who the parents were except for a letter that said: "_Care for her since I will be condemned if I do. My sin should not fall onto her innocence._" David believed Angelea to be the One in the Prophecy and asked Father Constantine to be her future mentor in the Order to which he obliged. Father Vincent Constantine later told everyone not to mention the proposed notion of Angelea of being the One in the Prophecy until it was certain she truly was and if so, by his command, reveal the truth of the Prophecy, if that time came. For now, they must wait patiently and look for the signs of the miracles that were stated the One can bring and so far a few have been fulfilled but not all.

After Katherine finished picking up after Angelea, she looked at the clock on the bed stand and realized she'd best leave to prepare for Angelea's exam.

_Vincent is probably finished speaking with David by now, I should help them in preparing Angelea's written and oral exam and find out who it is that will go against Angelea in the final physical exam. _Katherine thought as she finished making Angelea's bed, smoothing out the top cover with her long slender hands, feeling the softness of it's brilliant colors and subtle design that danced about from the growing sunlight that shined through the tall windows.

She quietly went toward the door, silently praying and leaving blessings for Angelea as she gently closed the door behind her, and went on her way to the temple where the exam would take place.

After scrubbing her body raw, making sure she removed the filth of what the demons left behind, irritated by its very presence and trying to be quick while still feeling satisfied that she has done so thoroughly; Angelea got out of the shower and quickly dressed, pleased to be clean and presentable for the most important day of her life. She forced a nervous smile in the mirror as she covered her head with the traditional white head covering after putting her hair in a braided bun. She remembered the necklace that represented the Order wasn't around her neck, and recalled that she removed it for the ball earlier last night so she went to her vanity where she believed she left it and put the necklace on. The rose gold cross and sword-wielding angel gleamed in the reflection of the glowing star sapphire it was inlayed in. Something else was missing as she looked at herself, making sure everything was in its place and realized her pendent and quickly went to the night stand where she remembered she had left it which was near her bed and placed the pendent on the right side of her chest. Content, she eyed the clock, its hands reading seven fifty-eight.

"CRAP!" she yelled in dismay as she ran for the door to leave and before she closed the door she noticed Katherine tidied up her room. She smiled at the thought of the kind, maternal figure and was grateful for having Katherine around as she closed the door behind her.

She thought for a second of where she should go first- stomach growling- as she headed down the stairs she decided to run to the kitchen to get a quick bite to eat to take with her on her way to the temple.

Thoughts of Nero and Kyrie came to her and wondered if they were still asleep, _…Lucky them! They don't have an exam to do… _She sighed, _Ugh… I hope the final exam isn't as hard as I've been told. I have to pass it, I MUST pass it or I'm doomed! David believes in me, yes, trust David, he believes in me, and so does Mother Katherine. I can't let my anxieties get the best of me or it will ruin me. _She tried to assure herself silently even though the anxieties had already threatened her very being.

Totally lost in thought as her body familiarly led her to the kitchen and unbeknownst to her, passed a man who was trying to get her attention. Placing a firm, white-gloved hand on her shoulder and loudly saying her name caused her to look up and see David standing there with a concerned expression.

"…Are you alright Angelea? I was calling your name and you seemed to not have noticed or heard me," he questioned calmly as he turned her to face him.

Nodding, she smiled and replied assuredly, "Yeah I'm fine, just lost in thought is all, trying to not worry about the upcoming exam…"

"I see, well don't. Worrying won't do you any good. Remember what I've taught you, I know you will do fine," he smiled warmly as he gave her a comforting squeeze on her shoulder.

In an uncertain, low tone, replied, "I know, I'll try not to disappoint you… Brother David,"

"You won't disappoint me, I have utmost confidence in you. And I'll do extra praying just in case I fail in my confidence which I doubt will happen, but you can never be too careful," he winked with a grin.

Angelea giggled and gave David a hug. He held her in his arms, enjoying the contact of her warmth and the unique energy that seeped from her small being. She pulled away to his disappointment as she awkwardly smiled at him and asked him if he had breakfast yet, he politely said no as they walked towards to the kitchen. He then remembered that he wanted to discuss her lateness last night and also mention who it was that she would be facing in her physical exam. He knew she wouldn't be happy in either the questioning or the news he was going to drop on her but proceeded to do so, bracing for her reaction.

"I haven't forgotten about your lateness the other night," David mentioned mildly. Angelea groaned in hearing this, knowing what was coming next as David continued, "…Since last night was an important event for us and I didn't want to spoil it by confronting you about your tardiness, I let it go. But now that it has passed and it's a new day, we can discuss it without worry of a large amount of people eavesdropping in our conversation. So tell me, why were you noticeably late for the ball last night Angelea?" he finished as he crossed his arms, peering at her from the corner of his eyes with a clever smirk.

"…I was hoping you would have forgotten about it but that's just wishful thinking since I knew you wouldn't and would just confront me about it sooner or later." she sighed dishearteningly, seeing that they were almost near the kitchen area as her hunger seem to over come her.

David just smiled as he waited patiently for her usual list of excuses when she is late, it is a normal ritual for her he was getting tired of.

"…Well… I wouldn't have been late originally but…" she began hesitantly, trying to carefully decide on how to explain it.

"…But?" he raised a brow in curiosity.

"…Uhm… well I… I got attacked by demons… again."

"What! Again? What do you mean by again? You've been attacked by demons? For how long?" he asked abruptly as he came to a halt and turned Angelea to face him again, they stood almost near the opening of the kitchen area, dodging the people who exited it.

She cringed at David's reaction, knowing he was beginning to be upset about her explanation as she continued to explain in a nervous tangent, "I'm sorry it just… happened. I was afraid to say something to you and thought they would just go away if I ignored them but they wouldn't leave me alone! And they only seem to come when I'm outside of the property of the Order. But don't worry though, I took care of it, or rather, this mysterious masked men from nowhere came and helped me and got rid of those vile creatures which for some reason didn't go away when I threw holy water at them at first and they took on the form of those bugs I hate so much! You know I have a phobia of them and-"

"Wait, wait… a man came and helped you? Who was this man?" he questioned in concern, crossing his arms.

"…Yeah well, I don't know who he is and I didn't see his face because it was covered by a mask," she began to fidget, lacing her fingers together behind her back.

"Did he give you a name?"

"Uh… yeah, he did. His name is-"

"Voici ma petit ange!" came a sudden young, loud voice from afar from a man dressed in the same white-gold uniform as David, with semi-long, strawberry blonde hair tied in the back with a gold ribbon, loose strands falling at the sides of his face.

The long sleeved, white robe which covered his neck ended above his ankles, covering his powerful legs and white pants. The uniform decorated with gold embroidery and a gold cross on the right side of his strong arm and an angelic insignia on his left, wearing worn knee high bleached, leather boots that shown a decorative design carved into the tops of them. He looked handsomely rugged standing there as he gave a half smirk towards Angelea.

The familiar voice snapped Angelea and David's attention towards the man who spoke, she smiled wide at the site of the young man and ran towards her friend and yelled, "Brother Ariel~!"

Ariel grabbed her when she jumped into his arms as he lifted her up with graceful ease and swung her around in the air while she giggled, "Did you miss me Ange~?" he said in his French accent that Angelea was drawn to as he sat her down with his signature half grin that made a small dimple at the corner of his cheek, not acknowledging David while Angelea had quickly forgotten her mentor's presence.

Ariel stood almost a half foot taller that Angelea but not as tall as David who stood almost six feet; with a lean, slender build and a clean shaven oval face of fair skin and gold colored eyes that caused you to get lost in its mysteries.

"Of course I did! I haven't seen you in over a month! I was beginning to worry I wouldn't see you again," she gently nudged his chest with her small hand as he went backwards slightly from her friendly push while he continued to smile at her.

"Well of course I would come back, only for you~ I couldn't leave you alone for Brother David to have all to himself now could I?" he said with a small laugh as he gently held Angelea's face in his large, white gloved hands.

Angelea blushed at this as she nervously laughed, "And I heard you were accepted into the Alatus Miles Sodalacium, congratulations! I knew you could do it!" he added happily as he grasped her white-gloved hands into his in a tight squeeze.

"Yeah~ Thanks isn't it great! Now I can travel with you to other countries and we'll have that adventure together that we've been talking about all these past years growing up!" she said excitedly in a huge grin as she jumped up and down.

Ariel smiled warmly and laughed a little to cover his hesitation and replied nervously in his sultry accent, "Uh… yes of course, we can have many wonderful adventures in foreign lands just like you dreamed about…"

"When did you come back from France?"

"Just-" the small homecoming was suddenly interrupted by a loud clearing of his throat from David to end the personal visit between the two, his arms crossed, his expression irritated by Ariel's abrupt, unwelcome presence.

Angelea and Ariel looked towards David who stood there silently, glaring at Ariel which Ariel just glared back in return with his usual smirk on his pretty face as he stood straight up to face him, hands at his sides. Angelea looked at the two, as she began to feel the heaviness in the air and tried to smile at both of the men before her to relieve the tension and awkwardness.

"…Brother Ariel, just the one who I needed to speak to," David began in a indifferent tone as he uncrossed his arms.

Ariel's expression turned serious, "…Oh? What about?" he asked curiously, wondering what his superior would want from him that was so important to interrupt his wonderful visit with his little angel.

"You are chosen by Father Constantine to be a part of the Alatus Miles Physical Exam and will be participating in it," he said in a monotone, his expression hardened.

"I see… and who is it that I grace the pleasure of my abilities that I will fight against?" he questioned calmly.

Angelea was dreading to know the answer to it, hoping it wasn't what she thought it was, the unwanted anxieties returning to wash over her once again as she watched nervously. David's blue-gray eyes quickly focused on Angelea as Ariel followed David's direction of sight as his face paled when he gazed at his friend Angelea, his expression lost its hardness and relaxed to something of terror. Angelea could almost feel her heart breaking as her eyes began to moisten with tears of denial, David just stood and watched silently.

"…I see… this is… very unwelcome news after returning from a difficult mission I was sent on by Father Constantine… And now he gives me this as my next duty to the Order after my recent return, it seems quite unfair…" Ariel stated flatly, a hint of coldness in his tone.

"Orders are orders Brother Ariel Le Loup, I would suggest you leave and prepare-"

"-I thought Angelea was already accepted to the Society, why is she taking the Exam again if-" he protested loudly.

"She was accepted to the Society before taking the Exam. I persuaded Father Constantine to accept her and award her last night during the All Souls Night Ball, which _you_ missed. Father Constantine, Mother Katherine and I believe it was the perfect time to do this for our dear Sister Angelea Sanctus and we're certain she will pass the Miles Alatus Exam." David calmly interjected him and explained within reason.

"In my _humble_ opinion, I say you mean you _think_ you are certain without truly being so. Indeed, how was the ruling even allowed to pass? It's unheard of for a member, whose future is still to be decided, I might add, to be accepted to the Society without passing the Exam first! Did you know that Father Constantine would place me in the final part of the exam?" he angrily exclaimed as he clenched his left fist tightly, gesturing harshly at David with a pointed finger with the other; Angelea began to tear up as she watched the scene before her helplessly, she hated it when people argued.

"No, of course not! I just found out this morning when I came back from speaking with Father Constantine! And I know this is the first time someone has been accepted to the Society without first taking the exam and passing it. This will prove that Angelea has come a long way and has surpassed most everyone else in the Order!-"

"If she succeeds! You know, as well as I, I cannot hold back on her!" Ariel interrupted.

"She will! I have no doubt of it and you shouldn't either, now deal with it like a good dog you are and obey your master!"

"How dare you?"

"For her sake, I'd dare anything! Putting you in your place is just part of my duty, and I'll remind you to do yours." David finished in a seething tone as he pushed Ariel roughly on the shoulder to gain distance from his threatening stance.

Angelea gasped and got between them, her expression worried yet hurt, as she looked at both of them, uncertain in what to say to them to calm them both. Ariel growled at David in a low tone, his jaw clenched as he kept his tight fists to his sides. His pride hurt, he turned to leave, muttering under his breath in French; not taking notice to Angelea's quiet farewell as he turned the corner, the flaps of his long white and gold embroidered robe disappearing. She gazed down towards the floor, hurt by Ariel's angry retreat and dreading the fact that he is the one she would have to face in her final exam; she didn't look forward to it as the recent news had stung her very soul. Brother Ariel was one of the best members in the Winged Warriors Society and was the fastest with inhuman strength among his unique abilities. She didn't understand why she was the one who had to fight him when she knew that everyone else knows that Ariel and her had grown up together. It wasn't fair, just as Ariel had said moments before, she wanted to cry out her frustrations and disagreements but David broke her of her silent loss as he gently laid a firm hand on her shoulder after looking at his silver pocket watch, his expression grim.

"We best be going if we don't want to arrive late at the temple for your exam, our transport is waiting for us and we have already wasted time. Hope you are ready…" he said calmly, his mood still seemed foul from the passing argument.

Angelea nodded quietly, eyes on the floor feeling sick, with butterflies replacing hunger in her stomach, as she allowed David to lead her out of the safe residence of the Order's home. Kyrie and Nero were coming down the stairway talking amongst themselves while Nero seemed quite upset about something in their conversation and Kyrie trying to calm him when they stopped at the end of the steps as they saw David and Angelea at the entryway about to leave. David stopped when he saw them, wishing them good morning and asked them politely to come with him and Angelea to the temple.

They looked at each other and then at David and nodded, Nero regarded Angelea's saddened expression as he followed curiously behind her, _…What's up with her? _He thought as he scratched the back of his head with his left arm, the sunlight blinding him for a moment as they stepped outside in the crisp morning air.

All four of them silently went into the waiting black car to take them to the awaited temple that held her trial for her future as a Winged Warrior. She had no choice but to achieve in this important task, for her sake as a Winged Warrior- failure was not an option, even when she had to face her childhood friend, she cannot fail. Heart racing, thoughts numbing her mind with choking anxieties as she tried to breathe the suffocating air around her, a tear slowly slid down her cheek as her lips trembled in a frown. She prayed God would help her through this and to give her strength, to let her accept her fate, whatever it may be.

**GLOSSARY****:**

_**Latin Translations**__:_

_**Alatus Miles Sodalacium**__: Winged Warriors Society_

_**Alatus Miles**__: Winged Warriors_

_**French Translations**__**:**_

_**Voici ma petit ange**__: There's my little angel_

_**Ange**__: Angel_

_**Le Loup**__: Wolf_

**NOTE****: **_**Ariel**_ is traditionally an Angel's name. Originally a Hebrew boy's name which was later used in French and English and means "Lion of God." So no, I am not taking this name from Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' which they used it and made it a girl's name later on… v_v I will not argue about this with anyone, I have done my research over the years on Jewish culture and the name is a male's name in Hebrew. If you can't accept it and want to go by your cultural norms, fine- I am trying to inform my readers in providing cultural and religious views of different backgrounds in this story to make it more interesting.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Sorry everyone for taking forever in updating! Life as a college student has kept me extremely busy and will continue to be since I am taking summer classes now and will be double majoring and double minoring this fall… So I will try my best to stay on track in continuing the story and updating while juggling to be a full-time student combating these majors. Good news is I give you a very long chapter for my long absence and it was a lot of work putting together. The next chapter is under work and hopefully I can get three chapters in after this one before my fall semester begins, so cross your fingers and pray I can do it!

**I Give Thanks:** I want to give a BIG THANKS to my good friend Kris for helping me go over this chapter with me as my beta when helping me work out a scene in the story. You are AWESOME! Thanks to Naiya as well for fixing the minor errors. Thanks to all those who have reviewed, it helps me and inspires me to continue, so don't stop reviewing folks! I'm glad and very humbled that my story has been a favorite and being one of the best some of you have read, I have done my job as a writer even though this is one of my hobbies. I hope I do not disappoint and will continue to improve and bring smiles, tears, and get your mind thinking when you read 'A Devil's Heart.' Do not worry Bounty Hunter Vincent Vega and Jacky-lulu, I will continue in my writing or try to. Despite the DmC, it has not turned me off to not want to continue writing this fandom. I will give the game a chance before I decide to hate it and may even work with it if I find it to my liking. Either way, I try to give people a chance and easily forgive, thanks BHVV for passing on the message and no I did not delete it. :P

Another thing I might add is I forgive WiredJunkiee1100 for his rude and unnecessary comments and how he had acted towards me. We have talked and are now friends and are sorry on both sides for the unwanted drama. I'm glad he has come around and see his faults and admit he is wrong. That there I respect and appreciate and hope he continues to learn from his mistakes and grow to be a better person in the future. I support him.

Now without further ado~ Enjoy the chapter and I hope all is pleased for the long awaited update. Do not be shy in reviewing because I enjoy hearing what people have to say about my story and appreciate it. It helps me improve and very much inspires me and brings a devilish smile to form upon my face :3

_**A Devils Heart**_

_**VII**_

_**Alatus Miles Exam**_

The dim light crept through the slits of the long, crème colored brocade curtains and splashed across the wooden floors and rugs in the quiet room. The bedroom slowly lit up to a new awaiting day, as the outside seems to come to life with sounds that came with the morning. But the day came unwanted, the slender man awoke from nightmares that left him tired and stricken with anxiety. His senses brooded over the reality that surrounded him and forgetting the dreams that plagued his soul; reminding him of what was expected of him as he arose to sit at the edge of his bed, the blanket falling to the floor near his feet, leaving him cold once again. He rubbed his face with his hand to make himself more alert, the rough fabric of his fingerless gloves rubbing coarsely on his dry skin, and noticed the light from outside the windows covered the floor and lit up the dreary room; as queer shadows made themselves more prominent. He sat there alone with his thoughts as his hand rest at his temple, taking a deep sigh of determination, his expression hardened in its usual coldness as he stared at the wall in front of him. The hand that rested on his left knee tightened into a fist and he arose from the bed, taking a piece of the curtain and yanked it open to reveal the outside.

He looked through the dusty window, taking in the pleasant scenery of the woods and wildlife that dotted the property before him in silence. He looked at it dully, feeling unsatisfied as he looked away and observed the sword that stood quietly by the wall where he left it. He gently grabbed it into his left hand and saw the delectable fruit for which he saved for his morning meal. He brought it to his thin lips and paused, uncertain to eat something he was absent of for so many years. In the inferno he was trapped in, there was no food to partake in that could be even considered food, none that did not fill your mouth with rot and ashes and other sickening tastes. And most of the time there was nothing you could actually eat or drink. Was this reality just a form of torture? Another trick that the Devil was playing on him? His body ached for food as he hungrily bit into the soft flesh of the pear; it felt so strange to eat. The juices ran down his chin as the texture of its insides felt grainy and so wonderfully sweet upon his tongue. He closed his eyes, savoring every part of it as he ate; he ate the core without noticing, he was so hungry. His body famished from the emptiness within him for food and water and something else that seemed to eat at his soul, though he couldn't quite place what it was. He ignored it, not allowing his mind to brood over thoughts that would plague him something trivial like his soul or feelings. It didn't matter.

He left his room, closing the door behind him as he headed down the long wide hallway to the kitchen for a drink of water to quench his longing thirst. Once there, he went through some cupboards, found a crystal glass, filled it with cold water, and gulped it down and filled it up to do it again. He noticed a piece of folded parchment on the island table in the room next to the bowl of fruit. He filled the glass a third time and walked towards the envelope curiously, noting that his name was written on the crème colored paper in the old cursive writing of an era long since gone. He assumed that it was from the Immortal Sorcerer as he put the glass of water down, setting his Yamato gently atop the table and picked up the paper to inspect it. Slowly unfolding the paper to discover a small map that could fit in a pocket and noticing that it was carefully drawn on a separate piece of paper in the same elegant writing as the letter, as Vergil carefully read over it with a grim expression:

Vergil:

This map I leave with you is the map of the city, I have marked in red the locations of the Order in which you will most likely find Angelea Sanctus. It is your responsibility to figure out her schedule and the times she will be in each respective area. Today you may rest. Tomorrow I expect you to begin your duty for which our Dark Lord sent you. Do not disappoint us.

V.A.

Vergil crumpled the letter in his fist, gritting his teeth with irritation and animosity. He hated this task that in his opinion, was ridiculous and trivial. He wasn't going to allow himself to rest, he decided, wanting to finish this job as quickly as possible so that he could be freed from all this and soon have his revenge. Grabbing the glass, he gulping down the rest of its contents, then setting the glass on the surface of the table a little too hard, making it chip at the base. He didn't care. Taking the map and unfolded it to look over, regarding each of the several red marks that circled each location. He glared at the red marks as though they seemed to taunt him. He decided to go to the Main Branch of the Order, the Temple's headquarters. A good place as any to start his search where he would most likely find her or so he hoped during this hour.

He folded the map closed and placed it inside his coat pocket. He grabbed his sword, his grip tightly around the scabbard as he stiffened to scan the room a moment. Glancing at the bowl of fruit, he grabbed an apple to take on his journey and headed towards the front door of the mansion with its strange dial and saw that it was set on red, the location of the city. With slight hesitation, he laid his hand over to where the charm lay hidden beneath the confines of his clothing and felt it unusually warm against his skin. He then grasped the decorative copper colored knob of the tall door and opened it, leaving the quietness of the mansion and into the loud city of his awaited fate.

The early morning came and went agonizingly slow. Angelea has successfully passed her written and oral exams with ease starting at eight-thirty till twelve-thirty and now she breaks for lunch. At one-thirty she would begin the last part of her exam, the dreaded physical exam. She sat at the end of one of the long dark wooden tables in the large room that is the dining area of the Temple, with the kitchen attached to serve the food, refreshments, and dining utensils. The plate with buttered chicken seasoned with garlic and rosemary coupled with melted sharp cheddar mashed potatoes and a small side of greens lay cold and untouched. She didn't have an appetite; her anxieties filled her stomach with butterflies. The room was delicately ornamented with Judeo-Christian art accompanied with a large replica painting of 'The Last Supper' located at the left above the large entrance into the room to remind everyone the sacrifice and the symbolism of the first Eucharist*.

Some of the Church members who worked along with Angelea sat quietly among themselves, some in groups chattering away as they ate and smiling. She picked up on their discussion of her upcoming last exam since it was an open event where everyone who is working for the Order could attend and observe. His Eminence will be there for the exam for this was of great importance that if she passes all of her exams according to the satisfaction of his Holiness- he would give her his blessings and welcome her to the Society of the Winged Warriors that would make her officially a member. The very idea of it made her even more nervous and sick with each passing second as she bore at the cold food in front of her, her mind racing with thoughts of the outcome in the final.

"Why so glum? You passed both of your exams right? Aren't you happy about that?" came a friendly yet familiar voice in an Irish accent.

Angelea looked up to see Sister Mary O' Kelleher, Brother Le Loup's partner that he mentors. She wore a simple blue and white uniform in the form of a robe; her short brown hair covered by a white head covering and is under the Priest Class. The fair skinned, glasses wearing young woman smiled warmly at Angelea as she sat down across from her. Her brunette bangs slightly covering her freckled face as she pushed the strands away from her blue-green eyes to peer at her friend.

Angelea gave a nervous warm smile as her fork continued to play with her food, she looked down at her lap and mumbled, "…Yeah, I guess, but…"

"But~?" grinned Mary,

"…I'm worried about the final exam! I can't do this; I don't want to spar against Brother Ariel! It's not fair!" Angelea whined, eyes beginning to moist with frustration and fear.

"WHAT! My mentor is the one chosen to spar against you! Is the Society crazy!" Mary said as she stood right up, the chair almost fell back, some of the people in the room from afar looked there way curiously and coughed in response to remind inside voices.

The two noticed embarrassingly, and winced as Mary spoke a little softer, "…That explains his fowl mood this morning when I saw him walked pass me without a word…" Mary finished solemnly as she pursed her lips in thought, finger touching her full lips as she pondered and slowly sat back down in her chair.

Angelea didn't feel any better and was a little surprised that her friend didn't know the fact, even though no one was supposed to know who the chosen sparring partner from the society would be until the starting of the third exam; she assumed Sister Mary would have known about it earlier cause she was Brother Ariel's pupil and he likes to talk.

_He must be really upset that he didn't even bother to mention it… nice to know he is as upset as I am about the situation…_ Angelea thought miserably.

"So… what are you going to do? I know he is one of your best friends, you two grew up together." Mary said quietly, worry written across her face as she stared hard at her friend, laying her hand on Angelea's.

"I have no other choice but to accept it and do what I have to… defeat him in the spar match, or at least do well enough to hopefully pass this last exam to his Holinesses standards."

"But Brother Ariel's one of the best fighters in the Society Ange!" She said excitedly as she said the nickname Brother Ariel would normally call Angelea and now Sister Mary recently began calling her that too.

"I know that Mary!" Angelea interjected miserably, sighing loudly as she covered her face with her white-gloved hands and rubbing her temple and eyes as if it would help wake her from a terrible nightmare.

"Sorry, but… I mean he sparred against Brother David when it came to Ariel's final exam and it ended as a tie!" she stated loudly as she sat up again to emphasize the seriousness in her words; the people glared there way again and Mary silently apologized for her actions, Anglea shrank in her seat and apologized also.

Mary continued quietly, leaning closer for only Angelea to hear, "I don't know about you, but no offense, you're not a fighting type and I haven't seen you spar against Brother David and… win… But then again, Brother David is also one of the best fighters too in the Society and he kept you from prying eyes most of the time when it came to you two sparring. I don't know how much you have improved since the first time I saw you fight but… practicing with him, I pray you are much better than you were like, three or four years ago. Plenty of time to practice and hone in on your fighting skills right, hopefully, even if you're a pacifist you still can succeed and come through right?"

Angelea furrowed her brows, not saying a word as she looked away.

"I'm sure you can do this and pass! Brother David and Father Constantine has a lot of faith in you to succeed as do I since you're already _accepted_ into the Society but not exactly fully acknowledged by his Holiness yet. That amounts to something right?" Mary finished in a nervous tone as she smiled to lesson the heavy mood; trying to show that she hasn't lost faith in her friend who hates to fight or hurt anyone and God willing, could pass this difficult feat.

Angelea was about to thank Sister Mary for her encouragement but was distracted as familiar faces came in to sit down next to Mary and her.

Angelea's first pupil with the strange arm and his female companion came to join them with their trays of food, Brother Nero sat next to Sister Mary as he dug in without even praying to bless the food first while Sister Kyrie smiled at Angelea as she stood next to her and questioned warmly, "Is this seat taken?"

"Oh, no, it's not taken you can sit there." Angelea answered as she smiled back, pushing her worries away with it.

"Thanks." Kyrie replied as she sat down and gently laid her tray down in front of her on the smooth, clean table before her.

Kyrie did a silent prayer to herself to bless the food before she began to eat and congratulated Angelea for passing her first two exams. Angelea smiled and thanked Kyrie as she complimented on how pretty she looked in her new blue uniform that Mary wore and introduced her to Sister Mary who was also another Priest Class like her.

"Oh we've already been introduced earlier by Brother David; I'm suppose to mentor her a little when she's with me in helping with the orphans and caring for them. Get an idea on her responsibilities and duties she will be performing." Mary stated happily as she clasped her hands together.

Kyrie smiled in return as she nodded, looking at the two, Angelea just nodded a little surprised and smiled along with them, "Oh… that's good, how did you like the orphanage and the children? Did you visit it yet?" Angelea asked as she pushed her tray aside to rest her elbows on the table, her fingers entwined beneath her chin as she rested it a top her hand.

"Yes I have and I'm certain I will enjoy working there, the children are wonderful and well behaved." She answered happily.

"Oh you say this now, just wait till you're alone with them for a moment. They'll run all over you and be bouncing off the walls. And since you're new, they will be ten times more crazy that you may want to be relocated." Angelea said giggling, remembering other member's horror stories of the orphans.

She knew a lot of people who asked to do deskwork rather than deal with the children who were nicknamed among most of the members of the Order as the "Little Devils"; but Angelea had such patience with people, and children especially, that she was one of the few who could handle the children without pulling out her hair and running for the hills screaming. Kyrie looked worried then and Angelea quickly apologized and believed Kyrie would do fine, she felt guilty for the words she had said. Mary added encouragement as well, saying the children will be on their best behavior when Kyrie is watching over them and that she will make sure of it, trying to remove the building fear that might threaten to fall on Kyrie.

Nero just snorted his response of disapproval; _children are nothing more than crazed, sniveling little brats that whine and are such a pain in the ass, to call those annoying monster's 'Little Devils' is an understatement, _he thought bitterly.

He knew the kids would be hell in dealing with them and thankfully he wasn't assigned to babysit the brats. The whole time he was with Kyrie and David- who was giving them the tour of the expense of the temple's property and the orphanage therein- the children would poke at him or his glowing arm and tugged at his clothes playfully as they giggled and laughed; angering him as he prevented himself the urge to give the kids a beating because they're just mischievous kids messing around, and instead, yelled at them to knock it off. A few listened out of fear of Nero's intimidation but some liked to test his patience, which was on the verge of cracking. His day didn't end there. Before he found himself eating with the chattering girls it had gotten worse!

Brother David took them to see Mother Katherine who had the new members uniforms waiting for them and presented them the clothes they were expected to wear and that it was mandatory to wear them so that they would fit in among the other members of the Order because that was tradition as members of theOrdo Pius Sanctus Caelestis. Nero argued with David after seeing the offending uniforms and that he wasn't going to wear a uniform that made him look like some old, boring, virgin priest that made him appear like he was wearing a dress. David smacked him over the back of his head without warning and so quickly and hard that Nero almost fell forward but caught his balance and was going to counter attack when Kyrie loudly protested negatively against Nero's action. Nero just cursed and grumbled as he snatched the terrible clothing he was forced to wear from Mother Katherine and stated rudely that he was keeping his boots and that David could shove the black shoes up his ass. David replied nonchalantly in a firm tone that he and Angelea would have to work on that childish attitude of his and teach Nero to learn respect for his superiors, even if it means he- David- would have to beat it into him. Nero sarcastically replied to kiss his ass and that he would like to see him try, stating how he would enjoy kicking his ass; Kyrie loudly protested against Nero's way of acting when she said Nero's name to show disagreement. David said nothing and waited patiently for them to change into their new clothes in the private bathrooms of the sewing and clothing room.

The new black and white uniform he received from Mother Katherine was uncomfortably tight around his throat and he loudly confessed at how he looked stupid wearing it after putting it on. His former clothes he wore along with Kyrie's were given to another member of the Order who worked on making clothes and washed them to have their old clothes cleaned and then placed in their rooms. After they had changed they continued to walk in silence, Nero brooding over his new clothing arrangement as he grumbled quietly to himself as David continued to show them around and introduced them to other members of the Order. Later, David shows them the cafeteria and allowed them to eat, and now by Kyrie's willingness to join Angelea and Mary for lunch when she spotted them alone did he find himself among other unwanted company; so now he sits there brooding silently as he ate.

He wondered when will this day end and hopefully soon so he can go look for his missing sword that was given to him less than a year ago by the man he knows nothing about and left him with the name: Dante. He couldn't stop thinking about the sword when he noticed it was missing earlier this morning as he rummaged through his belongings. Kyrie assured him this morning that it's probably there in the mess of his room since he just moved here and everything is out of place and will seem like it has gone missing for a while until he unpacks everything. She believed it would turn up soon enough and he tried to take her advice to unpack everything first before worrying over it now. All he wanted to do was get back to his new living quarters and start unpacking everything as soon as possible and arrange his belongings to where it seemed like home. His other sword, Red Queen and his gun Blue Rose were there last time he checked but not the strange sword that seemed to call to him and give him this overwhelming feeling of great power that seemed to course through his very being every time he held it. It was special and that strange guy in red told him to take good care of it for the fact because it was important to him.

"Good afternoon Sister Mary, how are you on this fine day?" came the friendly question from David as he sat his tray down next to Angelea and began to sit down.

Mary replied with a cheerful hello and said that she was doing fine and asked how Brother David was doing. He waved a hand in reply as he nodded with a smile, stating he was well, and then preceded to do a silent prayer before he ate. Mary just nodded and smiled as she excused herself to look for her superior, saying farewell to them and the new members and loudly wished Angelea the best and good luck to her in the last exam and to _not_ break a leg while doing it as she giggled, sticking out her tongue playfully while walking away towards exiting the large room. Angelea, David, and Kyrie just waved good-bye to Sister Mary as she left and disappeared, Nero just ignored as he watched, biting into an apple and laid his arm across his chest as he sat there in an ungentlemanly manner.

David glared at Nero while Kyrie sighed at the way Nero's been acting today and Angelea went back to her worried thoughts and thinking over the spar and pondering what would happen and what she should do and how to succeed. The anxieties washed over her once again, ignoring everyone else around her as she brooded in thought.

David's voice snapped her back to what is around her when he asked her a question she didn't quite hear, "Pardon?"

"I said, how are you doing?" he asked concerned, the fork paused above his lips.

"Oh… I'm alright…" she said solemnly as she looked back down at her lap.

David knew better, laying a gloved hand on her right shoulder and giving her a firm squeeze, "Don't worry Angelea, worrying will get you no where and just believe that you will pass this. This is just another trial you must face in order to get above, you will be fine, it's your destiny," He assured her confidently as he took another bite of his potato.

"…Yeah…" she mumbled.

"Look, His Eminence is aware of the early announcement of you being welcomed into the Society before the Alatus Miles exams have taken place and is impressed by the fact, not upset as we thought he may have. He looks forward to seeing the final exam and in meeting you personally to congratulate you afterwards since he is certain you will pass as well after speaking with Father Constantine and I and hearing your results in the other two exams. He is very happy to know the possibility of having you be a part of the Society and believes you will go far and be a great asset to it so do not worry over the physical exam, you will do fine and I am certain you will pass so stop worrying! It will get you no where as I have told you many times before, to worry-"

"Brings doubt, and doubt brings failure when faith moves mountains and will lead to success and greatness… Yeah, I know Brother David you don't have to remind me… Glad his Holiness isn't upset that I haven't failed… yet. It is yet to be decided still since he has the last say on my future. Who knows if he will even be impressed with me after the final… if I even do well enough to _his_ liking." Angelea cuts in with sarcasm and annoyance in her tone, using "Brother" when speaking to David to emphasize her seriousness.

David was surprised by her attitude and knew well enough to let it go, she was under a lot of pressure and understood how she was feeling and how upset she was about the situation; so he changed the subject to one he'd been wanting to finish discussing with her since early this morning.

He put down his eating utensils and turned to face Angelea, his expression serious and eyed the other two who was present, "Could you two give us a moment please? I need to speak to Sister Angelea… alone."

Nero and Kyrie looked at each other and then at Angelea and David and nodded, "Fine by me, can I leave cause I got some things to do?" Nero stated flatly as he quickly got up and was heading towards the exit, leaving without even willing to hear an answer to his question.

"Uh, no Brother Nero, both of you will be staying. Just sit a little further down the table to give Angelea and I some privacy to talk alone if you please. And take your mess into the kitchen if you are done eating, Nero; I don't know how your former church run things but here we do things a little differently. You're a grown man so act like one, be responsible and clean up after yourself like a civilized person would do!" He answered in irritation as he pointed down to an area where Nero and Kyrie should sit and towards the kitchen to where they can take their trays once their finished.

Nero stopped himself when he heard this and growled in irritation as he turned around and stomped off to where his tray lay unattended; Kyrie moved down a couple chairs to sit where David pointed to finished eating and watched Nero complain quietly, she sighed. David ignored the white haired teen's complaints and focused on Angelea who watched him curiously, wondering what it is he had to speak to her alone about.

"I wanted to finish our discussion with you earlier this morning. About the man who came to help you last night, who was he?" he spoke in a monotone.

Angelea groaned as she looked down at his feet and wasn't really in the mood to talking about it either as memories flooded over her of last night with the mysterious masked man who helped get rid of the demons that threatened her, trying to remember his name.

"…His name... is Da.. Dante… I think, yeah that's what he told me." Angelea said with uncertainty.

David was about to say something when an infuriating kid with an attitude who was testing his nerves interjected, "Dante! Wait, you know Dante?" Nero questioned excitedly as he stood not too far from David and Angelea and was eavesdropping into their conversation.

Nero slammed his tray on the table in front of them loudly, utensils and pieces of food falling on the surface of the table and floor as he flattened his hands onto the table and leaned in to peer at Angelea with serious eyes, "How do you know Dante! Where is he? Is he-"

"That's enough Brother Nero, this matter is none of your concern and I advise you that you will continue cleaning up your mess. I will talk with you about this later and ask that you refrain from asking any more questions since you are in no position to do so about this." David finished angrily as he glared at Nero, wondering how he could possibly know about the man in question and would question him about it later.

Nero glared at David, visualizing how wonderful it would feel to punch him but decided not to because he was in no mood in finding out what kind of punishment these people would do so he clenched his devil fist and stiffened his stance, jaw tightening and grinding his teeth as he picked up his mess with his human hand and resumed in taking it to the kitchen, cursing loudly as he stomped away.

David released an irritated sigh to relieve the growing tension that threatened to build in his temple as he rubbed it, "As I was saying…" he returned his thoughts to the matter at hand as he thought of the name 'Dante' and it vaguely sounded familiar but he couldn't quite place it.

"This… Dante, what did he look like?" Hoping a description might help him remember.

"Like I said, I didn't see his face because it was covered by a masquerade looking mask but that he was very tall, he wore a wide dark hat and a trench coat I think, I'm not certain of the colors cause it was dark in the alley and so it looked almost black or… was it dark red?" She wondered, putting a finger to her lips trying to remember what she saw.

"You met him in the alley?"

"Yeah, he came out of nowhere-"

"Uhm… excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt but doesn't Angelea, I mean Sister Angelea, have that final exam to do?" Kyrie asked nervously.

David quickly pulled out his pocket watch and to his dismay as he looked at the time, realizing she would be late if she didn't leave now. He cursed under his breath in a language Angelea couldn't quite catch as she began to sit up with him, grabbing his tray and hers. David was frustrated to be interrupted _again_ over this matter but it was important that Angelea wasn't late to her exam and would be extremely disrespectful to keep his Eminence waiting.

"Hurry, we'll be late for your final!" David said as he pushed Kyrie and Angelea along down towards the kitchen to give to the servers and dishwashers.

Nero was leaving the kitchen when he saw them and was told by David that they were leaving. Before he had time to complain again, he was pushed along towards the exit with the rest of them. Nero stared at Angelea as they quickly walked down the wide hall; he wanted to talk to her but thought better to wait until he could be alone with her later today where the asshole- David, wasn't around. He wondered if Dante was with the Order or not and didn't believe it to be the case anyways, but still, he wanted to know where he can find him again. He would rather join Dante if it were possible instead of this stupid Order, which he now regrets.

The large domed room was filled with people sitting on the long granite benches and more were coming in through the large opened doors for the exciting event that would soon take place. Members from all over the world from sister Order's of the Pius Sanctus Caelestis came to watch one of the most important events that his Eminence would always attend and pass judgment on those who are trying to join the Miles Alatus Sodalicium. The physical exam was on everyone's minds and the highlight of conversation as people talked excitedly on whom would be the one from the Society going against Sister Angelea. A few people dressed in red and white robes, the Order's personal medics stood from the sidelines, talking among themselves of the fight to come and wondered if it would end in broken bones like last year's with one young fellow, which ended in him failing the exam.

Upon entering, one would see the dome ceiling painted with the images of angels and heaven opening up to reveal the Savior, the empty floor with the Order's insignia of an angel holding a sword above its head and a long cross staff in the other in silver and gold threading decorated the large round white floor. The walls were decorated with silver and gold leaf and fashioned in a gothic like design of carved floral and sacred symbols with several tall and some rounded colorful stained-glass windows that made the room bright with sunlight. The stained-glass windows located behind where the tall private seating's above had the symbols alpha and omega and a winged, shining cross with a crown above it in between- representing the Winged Warrior Society- was placed in the middle of them. The large mahogany private benches that overlooked the room and where his Eminence sat in the middle as his bodyguard dressed in a black and red robe, stood silently behind his Eminence. Father Constantine was sitting on his Holiness' right and Mother Katherine on his left.

Nero and Kyrie came in with the moving crowd and sat a couple benches from the floor as they squeezed through to sit. Over hearing the people's talk did he realize that this would be a fight that everyone has attended to watch, a sparring match between Angelea and someone else that no one is certain who it is and were guessing, some making bets as to who it was she would spar against. He smirked and thought it was funny to know Angelea could even fight, looking at her; he doubted she could even kill a flea let alone defeat a person who was versed in combat. She comes off as being weak to him and assumed she would fail this.

_Finally something interesting is happen today, it would be entertaining to see her get her ass whooped_, he thought grinning and still couldn't believe the fact that Angelea is to be his superior and mentor and hated it as he played with his new ring she put on his finger the other night.

As people were settling into the room, a tall man in blue came in unnoticed as he silently overlooked his surroundings with careful eyes from a terrace. People paid no mind to the silver haired figure that stood above them as he looked over the thousands of people in the room, searching for the girl he was sent here to deal with in somehow persuading a woman of faith to join The Devil. He knew this would be a challenging task and to his dismay, would take time it would seem after touring around the Order's headquarters and seeing that she was probably a woman of faith who is constantly surrounded by the Church. He considered that blackmail would have to be involved in order to persuade the woman, but with what? His job was to learn and know who she is and the life she lives and the people she is involved with that she is close to, and with that, should help form a web of cornering her to submit.

Nero grinned to himself as he spotted Angelea walking in from the far doors on the other side of the room, looking forward to the show and watching her fail, _This should be interesting to watch._

Angelea nervously stood next to David, facing the superiors and his Holiness, as she tightly held her weapon next to her. A hush quickly came as his Holiness raised his hand for silence in the room. Dressed in a long silver and gold robe and a beautiful glittering rosary about his jutting neck wearing a decorative gold cap atop his balding head, rings decorated his fat fingers when he moved it around as he spoke,

"It is with great honor to be here once again and to announce that Sister Angelea Sanctus has passed her first two exams with ease and will now participate in the physical exam. " His Eminence humbly said as he waved his hand for Angelea to step forward.

Vergil's ears perked up as his eyes narrowed in on the young woman who walked out into the middle of the room. She looked like a child to him and no real threat, even when carrying the long cross like spear in her hands. What did she possibly have that the Dark Lord wanted so badly? Her soul? He would never understand the mind frame of Devils when it came to human souls.

"I will announce to all which I'm certain are curious to know who it is that we have chosen from the Alatus Miles Sodalicium to be participating in Sister Angelea's final exam. Brother Ariel Le Loup, please join us." He announced with pride as one of his best warriors entered in the room from large wooden doors located on the left where Angelea came through, the room became alive with low, tense murmuring of the awaited news.

Ariel stiffly came into the room quietly, his Flamberge sheathed and strapped to his back as he walked towards the center of the room to stand a few feet away from Angelea's right, his stone expression glanced at Angelea before giving his full attention to his superiors before him, standing at attention. Sister Mary walked quietly out of the room Ariel came from, straightening her dress and hair as she quickly moved near the wall, passing David and the medics who watched her curiously as she went towards the benches to join the other members. She spotted Nero and Kyrie and joined them as she sat down next to Kyrie and smiled, moving the rim of her glasses upward atop the bridge of her nose.A blush was present on her freckled face as she exchanged pleasantries with Nero and Kyrie.

"Thank you all for being here and Brother Ariel for accepting such an important honor to be a part of this," Ariel quietly snorted at this as he listened, Angelea briefly glanced at him and then quickly focused on his Holiness who was still speaking, "I wish you luck Angelea and would like to start with a prayer before we begin the exam," His Holiness and everyone in the room clasped their hands together in prayer as they closed their eyes and bowed their heads, all but Nero and Vergil, as Nero crossed his arms and sighed annoyance,

"Lord of all things and the Creator, the Alpha and Omega, bless Sister Angelea Sanctus in her endeavor in the physical exam. That You in all your wisdom, gift her with swiftness and cunning and give her the strength to succeed and overcome all obstacles that may cross her path to righteousness. Bless all those who are present and not present and to continue in leading us towards the Holy Light of Heaven that shines from above and into our hearts. So that we may know Your love and wisdom to understand your teachings here on earth, and to pass it to those who have yet to know You and Your love before it's time You call upon us to join You above. In Yeshua's name I pray, Amen."

Vergil glared at Angelea, not listening to the fat old man spew his dogma that made his ears burn. Angelea and Ariel bowed to his Holiness and the two leading superiors- Father Constantine and Mother Katherine- who represented their Order of their homeland here. Angelea held the cross up in her palms, for all to see, and nodded to Ariel, bending her knees to curtsy in respect. Ariel swiftly removed his sword from the protection of the scabbard and raised the blade of his sword in front of his face, saluting back before the command to begin was given. Angelea spun the cross over her head and brought it down, the point facing Ariel, who let the blade of the sword appear to fall to the ground on his right side, letting his left arm hang by his side, though those experience enough could tell the motion was fast but controlled as the blade didn't clang or dig into the floor. She knew he had much more skill and experience, and she knew that right now, she was being baited, but she didn't know how to respond. Slowly circling, she looked at his knees, his shoulders, his grip on the sword, looking for anything she could use to her advantage as David have taught her, trying to force the nervousness and the beating of her heart out of her mind.

She knew she had to think, she had to plan: without the rear section forming the cross, her weapon was just a silver spear, and she had about a foot of reach over him, but his Flamberge, ignoring the wavy appearance, was still a great sword, meant to cut through spears and pikes, meaning she would have to dodge his attacks rather than block or risk having her weapon be destroyed, making her glad she had stretched beforehand. In his current position Ariel could swing the sword low toward her legs, which would catch most off guard, but he would have to readjust with his other hand before he could attack again; or he could swing the blade vertically to defend and then swing down, a safer, more defensive move, a move which was not her friend's style: he would swing low. She rushed in, thrusting the sharp point of the spear towards his chest, she expected him to dodge, which he did, but she knew she had to at least look like she was trying to hurt him, even though every fiber in her being hated her situation.

Ariel ducked her attack and swung low for her legs and while he was surprised that she managed to jump over his low attack, he was more proud to see that level of skill from her. _It won't be enough. _He thought as hespun to his right, he stood up, and turned the blade so the flat would catch her on the back: she would be badly bruised, his intent was not to harm her too badly.

Ariel was again surprised as she slipped the center of her weapon in between herself and the blade, though the impact threw her to the ground, Angelea rolled away, clutching the weapon to her chest to keep from losing it. Seeing an opportunity, Ariel raised his sword and stepped forward to swing down on her, only to see Angelea get up to one knee and throw the sharp point towards him with one hand. He let his hands swing behind his head, the flat of the blade slapping against the muscles of his back but the weight pulled him backward, away from the deadly silver point.

Holding onto her weapon by the crossed end, Angelea pulled it back and regained her ready stance, slowly rising to her feet after the painful blow. She hoped it wouldn't be counted against her so she had to take the offensive. She had practiced a combination David had called "Angel Fall" referring to Lucifer's fall from grace, though she preferred to call it "Angel Wings". She was about to implement it when Ariel began to move, slowly, the sword still hanging by his arms behind him, though it's weight was rested comfortable between his shoulders. As he moved around her in a circle, a subtle smirk growing on his lips, Angelea couldn't help but feel stalked, the image of a wolf slowly circling a small rabbit popped in her mind. She would not be so easily defeated, and she forced the image out of her head, and watched his body, slowly stalking her, moving almost casually, until she leaped forward thrusting repeatedly at his head and body.

Ariel spun himself backward against the first few attacks, using the blade on his back to parry her strikes before he bent over and slipped under the last attack, the spear scraping roughly across the wavy blade on his back. Ariel stepped towards her in circling steps, turned himself completely around, Angelea having to jump back to avoid the tip of the blade which extended back over his hips, the unusual attack almost catching her by surprise, and as his head came to face her again he let the momentum swing the large blade out at her, he straightened himself, only to see that Angela had sprawled herself under his attack. She looked up, their eyes met, to his surprise as he looked down at her, her seeming to say "I'm sorry" as she threw the crossed end up at him, the silver square bouncing hard off his chin; Ariel swinging the blade in front of him, to block a possible second attack as Angelea picked up her weapon and returned to her feet, to the applause of some members of the audience. Nero was impressed by Angelea's skill and did not expect that she really could fight and had proven him wrong. _But not good enough to stand against me in a fight_, he thoughtas he crossed his arms. Vergil watched on silently calculating and pondering what kind of girl Angelea is and what she is capable of doing, learning her way of combat.

Ariel looked at her, rubbing his injured chin "You're just full of surprises, aren't you, ma petit ange… perhaps I should start paying attention…" Angelea shook her head, he was trying to intimidate her because he knew she knew he was better, but she knew there was a chance, otherwise she'd be fighting someone else.

Ariel raised the Flamberge above his head and moved forward to strike. Angelea raised her weapon between her hands instinctively to block, realizing that this would only result in her losing her weapon and that she had no chance in a hand to hand situation, so she shut her eyes tightly and jumped forward, hoping to hit Ariel again with the center of the weapon.

As she moved in her spear caught the cross guard, pushing the hilt of the sword back into his chest, the rounded pommel bouncing roughly off his collar bone, causing an angry grunt of pain. He swung the sword back over his head and behind his back, planting the point on the ground and spinning on it to move away from Angelea, twisting his arm so he faced the blade to keep the sword between him and her. She struck with the side of the pointed end, then the cross end then the point again, Ariel pivoting and stepping to use the sword as a wall against her. After her fourth strike, Ariel threw his hand out, as if to slap her face. Though it was only a distraction and he was already pulling back when she looked at it, if he had committed it would have been a sure hit. Instead, he lifted the sword, rested it flat against his shoulder and charged into Angelea's side, throwing her violently to the ground.

As she felt the breath forced from her lungs she realized the next hit would decide her future, she had to give Angel Wings a try. Quickly rolling back to her feet, she held the spear with both hands near the center and swung downward with the point towards Ariels head. Seeing this move he quickly shifted his weight and raised the blade in defense, the sharp silver point stopping so close to his face his breath clouded the shiny silver spear. With his eyes focused on the deadly point, Angelea was able to slip the cross bar on the other end behind his knee and pulling up with all her strength, she pulled the leg out, Ariel leaning heavily on his remaining leg to keep his balance. Angelea pushed downward with the spear point, forcing his weight to the ground, Ariel landing hard on his back. He hooked Angelea's legs with the cross guard of his sword, she gasped as she angled the point of her spear away quickly so that only the cross bar of the spear would come down across his neck, pinning him down. All his throw would do is cause the full weight of his friend to come down through the spear into the soft tissues of his neck. It might not be fatal but it would definitely hurt. Looking up into her eyes, Ariel let go of the sword and gave a wicked smirk.

Angelea sighed; she hoped that signaled his surrender. Ariel, however, grabbed onto the shaft of her weapon with his hands, angled his body and with the strength of his legs, and kicked Angelea away. He pulled her weapon down towards him, ripping the cross shaped spear from Angelea's delicate fingers. As she winced in pain, looking at her hands and grabbed her abdomen as she caught her balance from falling backwards; Ariel spun his legs and twisted to his feet, knocking Angelea over in the process, as one of his boots slammed into her head. She shook her head to regain her focus only to hear a sharp snap and see her beautiful silver spear clatter to the floor in pieces. Amazed at Ariel's superhuman strength that she recalled he possessed, almost forgetting his ability of great strength. As she looked up, her vision still slightly blurred, she saw his form rushing towards her, and began to feel more like a small, trapped animal in the path of a great beast, ready to pounce her. She felt she had no chance against him without her weapon and felt she has certainly failed the exam now as she watched him come towards her for the final blow that would decide her fate.

In fear, she closed her eyes and out of instinct, threw up her arms and hands in defense to somehow block the awaiting blow; she felt her body tingle as overwhelming warmth washed over her. A familiar feeling of intense energy came over every fiber of her being, and then moved through the muscles of her arms and hands that felt like it was released from her palms and fingertips. It was so intense that she found herself on the ground, wondering if Ariel had knocked her unconscious somehow, she was confused and felt light headed. The room was eerily silent as they watched the scene before them in disbelief, Nero gaped at Angelea, unsure if he saw what he just saw happen before him like all the rest in the room with wide eyes and gaping mouths. Vergil, his lifeless eyes widened, staring in disbelief, as he finally came to the realization as to why The Devil was after her, a wicked smirk slowly crept across his sunken pale face. David looked on with satisfaction as he crossed his arms; he was the only one who wasn't surprised by the fact and was proud.

Angelea looked over to Ariel, lying against the wall beneath a large crack; the sight of blood forcing Angelea to her shaky feet as she gasped in horror.

Running over to her friend she cried out, "ARIEL!" between shaky breathes and tears.

Ariel opened his eyes briefly, Angelea apologizing between sobs; she felt responsible, though she knew not why. She paused a moment, whimpering, when she noticed he was trying to speak,

"….T-très bien, ma pitit… ange…. Le tournament e-est finit…" Ariel breathed before succumbing to unconsciousness.

**GLOSSARY****:**

_**Latin Translations**__:_

_**Ordo Pius Sanctus Caelestis**_:_The Order of the Holy Saints of the Divine_

_**Alatus Miles Sodalacium**__: Winged Warriors Society_

_**Alatus Miles**__: Winged Warriors_

_**French Translations**__**:**_

_**Ma petit ange**__: My little angel_

_**Très bien, ma pitit ange. Le tournament est finit**_: _Very good, my little angel. The tournament is finished_

_**Interesting Religious Information:**_

***The Eucharist and The Last Supper: **The sacrament of Holy Communion, which is known as the Lords' Supper. The blessed bread is the body of Christ and the blessed wine is the blood of Christ shed for our sins. An important thing I must mention is that in Judaism, the sacrificing of the lamb to cleanse you from sin is what was practiced back in the biblical times. Jesus Christ is the name known to many in Greek, also known as Yeshua (Joshua) in Hebrew, and is seen to the Christians as the Lamb of God; in Judaism and Islamic religions he is seen as a prophet and not the Son of God or of divinity. Believe it or not, Jesus is mentioned in the Qur'an more often than in the Bible.

Going back to the main point, the Last Supper where Yeshua takes the bread and wine, explaining the meaning in which it represents His sacrifice to all of humankind to which His blood will take away our sins if we accept it as the ultimate sacrifice of the Son and go willingly in following God. To go even further, the Last Supper is placed during the major Jewish holiday that is a weeklong festival known as the Passover (Pesach), which is what the twelve apostles and Yeshua are celebrating.

The Passover is commemorating the Hebrews' exodus from Egypt and to symbolize their liberation. The blood of the lamb killed for Passover meal, as the Book of Exodus relates, was placed over the doors of the Hebrews, thus keeping the angel of death from entering their homes while the power of God "passed over" Egypt. The most significant meal, the Seder (Order)- that is what the men present in the Last Supper painting is partaking in- at which Jews eat several symbolic foods. The meal includes thin, flat bread made without yeast, recalling how there was no time for bread to rise in the Hebrews' rush to leave Egypt. A salad of nuts and fruits, which represents the mortar, used by the Hebrews in their forced labor, and parsley dipped in saltwater and eating bitter herbs to remind themselves of the suffering of the Hebrews during their oppression. And lastly, a shank bone of lamb or other animal, representing the sacrificial lamb to which such a bone was not present during the Last Supper, symbolizing that Yeshua (Jesus) is to be the sacrificial lamb that will bring everlasting life instead of death.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Devil May Cry game series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

_**A Devils Heart**_

_**VIII**_

_**Miracle**_

As Ariel was being rushed to the emergency room, bleeding from his mouth, nose, and ears, signs of internal bleeding as his body followed into shock. Angelea couldn't help but panic and cry out for answers on what was happening to her friend and close companion. She couldn't believe it was her doing that caused him such suffering, she couldn't figure out how it was her, she was confused, lost, and terrified with the thought of losing Ariel. Angelea held Ariel's hand as she rushed with him to a private room to be worked on and stabilized. Her panicked cries towards the medical team lead to her being grabbed from behind, her small hands yanked from Ariel's lifeless ones as she was led away so that the medics and nurses could work and not be distracted. Her protest was futile as she screamed and cried to Ariel's unconscious body, wanting to help and be there for him, but Brother David unwillingly lead her away from the room into the quiet hospital halls. He tried to calm her, hold her close into his arms as she sobbed into his shoulders, shaken. David tried to assure Angelea that it wasn't her fault, even though she protested that it was.

"It's not fair David, it's not fair!" Angelea cried in the crook of his warm neck as she held him.

"I know darling, I know… but it can't be helped, these things happen, you know this." David replied as he pulled away to look at Angelea while he brushed away her disheveled long silver-gold bangs from her wet, oval face. His thumb wiped away warm tears from her reddened cheek.

"You have to help him, they have to help him! He can't die, not like this, not by my hands! I can't live with myself if he did, oh God… please help him!" Angelea yammered in panic and worry.

David only held her closer, hugging her as he tried to calm her with words of comfort, stating that everyone is praying for Ariel's recovery.

After what seemed like an eternity of weeping and waiting for the news, a doctor came through the wide doors of the emergency room. His look was grim upon his wrinkled face, his posture solid as he walked towards Angelea and David who stood up from their seating arrangements in a private waiting room. Angelea dreaded the news, her heart sunk with anxiety as she knew what that look from the doctor meant. She began to quietly breath "No" repeatedly as she waited to hear those evil words as her body tensed up more.

"I'm sorry Sister… we couldn't stabilize him in time, the damage was too severe. Brother Ariel LeLoup… passed away. Fifteen minute ago." The doctor stated firmly with a hint of sadness, as he held Angelea's hand to comfort her through the hard news.

Angelea fell to the floor as her 'no's' turned into loud screams, David tried to catch her and hold her up. She felt her heart being stabbed by a dark, twisting knife that seemed to tear at her soul. She felt like she was dying inside. David tried to comfort Angelea in her hysterical cries but she pushed him away in protest, yelling.

"IT CAN'T BE TRUE, NO! PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO BRING HIM BACK! PLEASE! I CAN'T LIVE WITH THE FACT THAT I KILLED HIM! PLEASE BRING HIM BACK! YOU'RE A DOCTOR, PLEASE!" Angelea begged in between sobs, grabbing at the hem of the doctors coat.

The doctor only shook his head 'no' in disappointment, "I'm sorry, but we've tried. He's gone."

"NO, YOU HAVE TO TAKE ME TO HIM, I HAVE TO SEE BROTHER ARIEL! I WON'T BELIEVE IT!" she gasped out in denial as she quickly, but clumsily, got up from the floor as she moved towards the direction of the emergency doors, pushing passed the doctor.

David tried to grab her but she yanked her arm away in such anger and determination. She had to see Brother Ariel, she didn't want to believe he was dead. She had to see him for herself to even consider the news from the doctor. David called out for her as he followed, the aged doctor only stood there helpless as he watched Angelea disappear through the doors with David following closely behind. Angelea cried out for Ariel as she went through the emergency rooms in panic. The doctors and nurses stood by idly in silence, some with their heads down in sadness, knowing what would come. Patients confused with the scene playing before them, some frightened, others already knowing the news minutes ago. David called out to Angelea as he rushed to her side trying to calm her denial. She only ignored him and continued to search for the room she was dragged away from earlier. Through tears, her body shaking, she found the room when she yanked the white thin curtains away. A white blood stained sheet was covering the entire body in respect to the passing. Angelea gasped at the scene as she covered her mouth, her heart felt the pain of familiar stabs of emptiness again, tears of denial coming down in full force. She slowly walked towards the bed, David behind her trying to comfort her and telling her to not pull away the sheet. Angelea ignored him as she pulled the bloody sheet away to reveal Ariel's limp, lifeless body. Angelea gasped again through broken silent sobs, she went to hold Ariel's hand into hers. It was becoming cold, the temperature of death.

She shook her head 'no' as she croaked out breathless words she could barely speak, "Oh God noo… Ariel… I'm sooo sorry, please… wake up…" she spoke quietly to him as she hugged Ariel in hopes that it will him wake him, as if he was pulling another terrible joke on her.

She continued to beg Ariel awake, apologizing for what she did to him and asking for his forgiveness, shaking his shoulders. David went to put his hand on Angelea's shoulders to stop her fruitless attempts, it was only making the situation worse with her denial, he tried to pull away but she yelled "NO!"

"Angelea… please… what's done is done. There is nothing you can do for him; he has passed into God's Kingdom. Be glad he does not have to suffer anymore. That he's in peace and glory with our Lord." David gently assured her, as he stood idly behind her in concern.

As soon as those words were said did Angelea slowly turned to look at Brother David with such surprised anger and disgust. "How can you say that!? I just lost my BEST FRIEND done by MY HANDS and you just want me to ACCEPT IT AND BE GLAD!? FOR WHAT!? THAT HE'S IN HEAVEN WITH GOD THANKS TO ME!? GET OUT! GET OUT AND LEAVE ME ALONE DAVID! I HATE YOU!" she screamed as she pushed him away with such force, out towards the open area of the emergency room as she cried.

David, surprised, felt deep hurt from the words his pupil spit back at him. He just stood there as he watched Angelea return to the pale broken body of his former comrade. He walked away, leaving the cold, sanitized white rooms where death liked to loom. His thoughts of the matter, his concern and worry for his pupil's sanity, he knew this would break her in ways he didn't like to ponder. In all honesty, he lacked the feeling of what Angelea felt. He felt insensitive to the recent passing of Brother Ariel, recalling the many constant losses he experienced in the past through his service with the Order during many several years. Walking through the empty hallways of the hospital focusing with the memories that haunted him. The thoughts of his past, the people in and out of his life, he accepted death as much as he accepted life. Angelea was still new to the Society that she was surely accepted in after the last exam this morning, which lead to a great loss, for everyone. One of their best fighters' in the Miles Alatus Sodalicium (Winged Warrior Society) has been defeated by a girl who was still new to fighting. Considered inexperienced and weak in the eyes of others. Especially Brother Ariel's highly respected uncle, Brother Trystane Armstrong, the General of the Miles Alatus Sodalicium.

David was broken from his thoughts as he heard someone come towards him through the hallways of the hospital. '_Speak of the Devil_,' David thought as a familiar and unwelcomed character came face to face with him. The hardened man in armor worn from battle, towered over David.

In a gruff, rigid voice the man spoke, "You've been summoned. I've been sent to retrieve you. Follow me." Brother Trystane stated flatly as he quickly turned form the direction he came, holding his sheathed great sword that was attached to his left side by a worn leather belt.

"Are you here to pay your respects to your nephew?" David asked sternly back in response.

Trystane stopped in his tracks and cocked his head to look at David over his scratched armored shoulder. "I'll see him at his funeral. Only then would he even come close to deserving my respect. Once I see him in the ground." He stated in a cold monotone.

Trystane quickly turned his head to look forward after finishing his words, and began to walk away to the place he was to lead David. David only nodded and followed quickly behind to Trystane's long strides down the empty white and blue halls, exiting the hospital and into the colorful courtyard. The day seemed dreary, the sun covered by gray clouds, it looked like it would rain. David heard whispers from superstitious nuns as he walked passed, "God is weeping," they exchanged to each other after hearing the news of their brother's passing to explain away the sudden change in the weather.

Trystane was always hard to please, with a cold and indifferent demeanor and a strict, conservative view of how things should be run in the Order and in the world. For once, something David and Ariel could agree on in which they detested this hardened man before him. He was always harsh, judging others with such abusive words and enforcing his opinions as if it were the words of God itself. Trystane was known to be lethal and brutal and quite capable in combat for his old age nearing in his fifties. Many aspired to be the 'Hand of God' as Brother Trystane was known among the Order—jokingly or seriously—however, many also feared him. The one man Brother Ariel feared. Brother Trystane was so cruel to Ariel, he constantly reminded his nephew on how he despised him, putting him down harshly for every mistake. The one thing David guessed that Trystane was ever capable of loving was his late younger sister Elizabeth Armstrong. Hard to believe Brother Trystane could ever love anything, since he seemed to lack a heart, which would be devoid of compassion and mercy if ever was one. Trystane viewed Brother Ariel LeLoup as an abomination in the eyes of God, born out of wedlock that he believed was begotten from rape of his sister, a bastard son to a cursed monster. Ariel's uncle would imply that his nephew should have been dead instead of his late sister, in which he blamed Ariel for being the cause of her death. The callous general never talked about the past and neither did Brother Ariel; but when Brother Trystane made any inkling to the past, these were the only words you would hear and no one dared question it. Those who did got a beating from the 'Hand of God' or his only nephew, Ariel. Only few knew the truth behind the broken family relations of Brother Trystane and Brother Ariel, David and Angelea being those privileged few besides the ones above the Order. They arrived to their final destination, Trystane opened one of the large intricately decorated wooden doors, and without a word, ushered David to enter in before him. The doors creaked closed behind them.

Angelea continue to weep over Ariel in quiet absence of others, only the sounds of her despair surrounded her. People in the emergency room left Angelea alone to grieve for her loss as they continued on with the days work in treating others who came and went. Many hours passed as Angelea wept until she couldn't weep no more, her head hurt from the headache caused by her crying and dehydration. She crawled up the bed to lie next to Ariel's now very cold body. She embraced him in a hug, smelling his scent mixed with death, trying to take it all in so that she wouldn't forget what he smelled like. She laid her head on his bare, bruised pale chest; his uniform ripped open from the medics doing earlier that day. His chest wet with the bodily fluids that came from her eyes, nose and mouth during her weeping earlier. She prayed under her breath as she fingered each individual bead from the rosary she held in her hand, a gift Ariel made for her that was given on her 23rd birthday years ago.

She prayed for Ariel, prayed for her soul, prayed to God and Ariel for forgiveness, even though she felt her prayers were not being listened to. She felt dead inside. Lost, alone, her world seem to fall apart around her. Her best friend that she confided in and trusted, grew up with in the orphanage; the memories of their times together all came rushing in like a wave of pain and despair, gone. He was gone. And the truth sank in like a sharp stab into her soul. She looked at Ariel's pale cleanly shaven face, remnants of their battle still present on his smooth features and chest. His strawberry blond hair splayed onto the flat white hospital pillow like a halo. Angelea's eyes teared up at the sight before her. With the hand that held her rosary, she covered her mouth and then her eyes in such grief and shame. A silent cry of the truth displayed before her by her own doing. She thought of singing to Ariel, one last time. He loved to hear her sing to him growing up when he was anxious, sad, or even upset about something. A song to say good-bye.

She prayed as she sang quietly in a broken strained voice to Ariel, "_Do not fear_… F-_For your angel.. is heerre,_" she paused to silently sob. She pushed herself to continue in a quiet shaky voice, "T-t-_to scare away those fears, scare a-away t-those fears…_ _Your angel will take away your sorrows," _she said in a hushed voice as shecaressed Ariel's high cheek bone, "_And will take away your.. pain,_"her voice cracked with those words, tears rolling down her cheek and landed on Ariel's stoic face. "_D-doo not fear the.. darkness,_"she croaked, as she lay her head on Ariel's broken chest again_, "Because your angel_ _will bring about the light…_ _So do not fear_… _a__nd.. be at peace," _she paused to take in a huge shaky breath, still praying for healing towards Ariel.

Her throat was raw, she didn't want to finish the song, it wouldn't make anything better like it normally would. David came to retrieve Angelea as he stood quietly behind her, resting a firm hand on her shoulder. He gently mentioned that the Order's head superiors wanted to see her. She nodded silently in acknowledgement; David helped Angelea slowly get up and off the hospital bed as he took her limp hands into his strong steady ones. Angelea had to say her last good-bye before she left. Tears began to well in her mismatched eyes as she looked at David with uncertainty and then back at Ariel. She had to finish the song as she continued to pray silently to herself. She strongly wanted him to come back; she didn't want to face the world without him in it. She stood to look at Ariel dispiritedly, unknowingly projected her energy at his limp body out of desperate hope that this was all just a bad dream. She would rather die than move on; the guilt of his death still tore at her being.

David tried to gently pull her away from the bed, "They are waiting Angelea…"

"…Wait." Angelea shakily gasped, not moving an inch. She stooped over and whispered under her breath, "Be at peace… because your little angel dwells inside your heart..."she finished, and kissed Ariel's thin pale lips, tears dripped from her cheeks onto Ariel's calm face; David looked away, hurt.

She slowly moved her face away and in that instant a sharp ragged gasp came from beneath her. The sound caught David's attention as he quickly looked towards the direction of Angelea and Ariel, eyes widened in disbelief as he came closer.

"A-angelea…" Ariel breathed out, his face contorted in confused desperation as he gasped for air into his once dead, flattened lungs, staring weakly towards Angelea as life began to fill him.

Angelea only stared at Ariel speechless, her mismatched eyes blinking in disbelief as it dawned on her what was happening before her. David slowly stepped away, while he gently tried to grab Angelea's slender arm and pull her away from the bed. Her breath was caught in her throat as she unconsciously followed David's pull. Ariel tried to lift his arms to touch Angelea's hand that held her rosaries as she dropped them to return the motion. The rosary fell onto the white floor in a 'clack.' She clasped his hand in disbelief, her heart bubbling up with warmth and hope as she began to breath very quickly. Ariel gave Angelea a weak smile as he gently gripped her hand.

"It… it's a miracle." She breathed out in tears.

A small smile began to show from her lips as she peered down towards her best friend who returned to her from death's clutches.

**A/N: **Deep apologies to my fans who have been waiting for over two years for an update. I'm certain many are livid with unspoken disappointment and are upset with me for taking such a long time. I may have lost some fans, many are probably wondering if I quit with writing the story and want an explanation on my long absence. I hope you enjoyed this chapter regardless, and will continue to follow despite my disappearance. Feel free to leave flaming or encouraging responses/comments. To be fair in why I was absent is that my home was broken into and my computer was stolen and I lost all of my notes and stories. I was clearly upset with the loss of the very thing that I devoted my existence to, since I had to rely on it for school and it was the only computer I owned. Needless to say, I was too upset in writing again, especially since I was writing the 8th chapter at the time before it was stolen and I was foolish enough to not back it up on my jump drive. So I had to start over.

To add on to my life responsibilities, college life has kept me extremely busy and personal situations have become stressful and painful. I also took the time to travel, find myself and to learn more about the world around me; resulting in a enlightened perspective of where I fall into it all in my life's journey. Been in the process of setting up my future ahead since I am close to graduating next year and will potentially travel some more for work. I have to say I am not the same as you all have last heard from me. It gave me some time to think about my writing. I have practiced some more thanks to all the college papers and research conducted in between the time of this chapter and the last. I will try my best to stay on track in continuing the story and updating while juggling my personal life. I hope to have the next chapter in before I travel across the seas by the end of this year, or so I hope. Regards~

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